
Qass£Eai>_ 



Book •D'R. 



LIBRARY 
S. PATENT OFFICE. 



JVo Class. 

Case-^JwM Shelf. 





>y 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/americancattledo01dadd 



THE AMERICAN 



CATTLE DOCTOR: 



A COMPLETE WORK ON ALL THE DISEASES OF 



CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE, 



INCLUDING 



EVERY DISEASE PECULIAR TO AMERICA, 



AND EMBRACING 



JILL THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE AND TRICHINA. 



CONTAINING ALSO 



A GUIDE TO SYMPTOMS, 

A TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, AND 

A LIST OF VALUABLE MEDICINES. 



GEO. H. DADD, V. S., 

ng Veterinary Surgeon \ 
.utliar of the "American 



Twenty-five Years a Leading Veterinary Surgeon in England and the United States, 
and Autliar of the "American Horse Book." 



NEW YORK: 
ORANGE JUDD CO., PUBLISHERS. 

CINCINNATI: R. W. CARROLL & CO. 

1880. 



SFs 



61 



,H? 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 

R. W. CARROLL & CO., 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 



Southern District of Ohio. 



Sy tr»n«f» r jfp^ 










PREFACE. 



AMERICANS rank high in the estimation of the scientific 
world for their genius and industry in the great work of 
intellectual, moral, and scientific improvements. See what has 
occurred in the arts of printing, electrotyping, etc. The eloquence 
of the great literary magicians of the New World, the honored 
graduates of free institutions and free schools, no sooner falls from 
their lips than the phonographist transfers it to paper, the nimble 
fingers of the compositor puts it into " form ; " next the " battery " 
deposits on the face of the type a more durable coating of copper, 
and " Hoe's press" sends off " impressions" with almost magical 
rapidity. No less surprising are the wonderful feats performed 
by American mechanics, in the construction of fast yachts and 
steamers, which often pluck a laurel from the so-called " Mistress 
of the Sea ; " and old " Uncle John " gives us due credit for per- 
fecting a race of fast trotters that can beat the world of horse- 
flesh. 

Improvements in every department of Science and Art are con- 
stantly treading on the heels of improvement; yet, as regards the 
science of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, America seems almost 
the last among civilized nations to put her shoulder to the wheel. 
What can be the reason ? Her youth may be offered as a plea 
for excuses. The daughter of the Old World has not yet, in this 
department, arrived at years of discretion ; she is yet in her teens. 
Her sons have borne the heat and burden of the day in establish- 
ing their liberty, in founding cities, extending commerce, and in 
taming the wild face of soil, by uprooting the giant oak, and in 
clearing away the forest, so that the husbandman, with plow and 
harrow in hand, might follow on, and next impregnate mother 

(iii) 



IV PREFACE. 

earth with germs for fructification, which, in the day of the har- 
vest thereof, might be gathered and garnered for the benefit of 
man and the inferior orders of creation. 

And long ere the woodman's ax ceases to vibrate its clear 
stroke-notes in the ears of the new settlers, a giant enterprise is 
in contemplation. Space and distance must be comparatively an- 
nihilated; the iron horse, with his lungs of steel and breath of 
steam, must have his highway and byway, and the result is, the 
choice spirits of progression have been earnestly engaged in dot- 
ting a vast surface of United States Territory with a magnificent 
net-work of railway and telegraphic wire ; and various other en- 
terprises, with which the reader is familiar, have so occupied the 
American mind, that the Science of Life, as it applies to animals, 
has been almost at a stand-still. 

In the prosecution of these objects, so essential as they have 
proved in the economy of an infant republic, it is not surpris- 
ing that our science should fail to receive attention, and that 
America should be in the rear of the veterinary squadrons of 
the Old World ; yet, notwithstanding this seeming indifference, 
veterinary science does, in some parts of this country, occupy as 
high a platform as that which obtained in England, about seventy 
years ago, when the Apostle of Mercy, St. Bel, first landed on 
British soil. 

The science which Ave here advocate is as valuable and chari- 
table to nature's menials, for the purpose of ministering to their 
physical wants, relieving their aches and pains, and of prolong- 
ing their lives, as that practiced on the more noble of created life ; 
and, at the present day, testimony can be produced going to show 
that among us can be found " good Samaritans " who are always 
ready to minister to the wants of the inferior orders of creation — 
a w,ork as acceptable to the God of Nature, and as creditable to 
manhood, as when the welfare of one of us is concerned. And 
should we estimate the science in exact ratio to the value and use- 
fulness of the legion host of domestic animals that have been 
reared in this country, and those Avhich, without regard to cost, 
have been imported, to whose welfare it directly contributes, the 
reader will readily perceive that it is entitled to the consideration 
and support of a nation of husbandmen. 

It must be borne in mind that a knowledge of the principles 
of veterinary medicine can not be acquired without diligent study 



PIILFACE V 

and close application. It is only the property of tlie industrious 
and devoted student. 

In order to acquire the necessary tact, skill, and experience for 
the practice of our art, some of the shining lights — the early dis- 
ciples — have spent the May-day of their existence in solving its 
problems, and, Avhen near its close, have declared, with a modesty 
indicative of true genius, that their education was yet incomplete. 

Such testimony goes to show that there is no republican nor 
royal road to veterinary knowledge. In fact, after a man has 
perseveringly pursued the routine studies of the most popular col- 
legiate institutions, he may still be found " wanting." 

Let us contemplate for a moment the superior advantages which 
human practitioners have over our craftsmen, both as regards 
their scientific qualifications and the superior means at their com- 
mand for ascertaining the character, location, and intensity of the 
various maladies peculiar to the human race. For example, the 
practitioner of human medicine, if he has been a faithful and in- 
dustrious student, enters upon the active duties of his profession, 
having acquired a valuable fund of knowledge of anatomy, phys- 
iology, pathology, and other necessary branches of study; and, 
having disciplined his mind in the regular school, and in that of 
experience, he is expected to be able to rejoice in the possession of 
a well-trained mind, which enables him to understand and inter- 
pret the physiological laws which preserve health and life in the 
constitution of organized beings ', also to comprehend the why and 
wherefore of disease ; to be able to institute sanitary and other reg- 
ulations, and to select suitable medicinal preparations, in view of 
meeting the various indications of each and every form of disease. 
And when a man becomes the subject of sickness, and the doctor 
is called upon to exercise his skill, the latter receives valuable aid, 
in view of making a correct diagnosis, from the patient and his 
friends. Each can be questioned, and their responses throw con- 
siderable light on the history and nature of the malady. Now, 
as regards the latter advantages, they have no parallel with the 
men of our craft. Our patients are deprived of the power of 
speech, and we can only judge of the state of their health, and 
the nature of their maladies, by signs revealed or elicited through 
physical exploration. We have other difficulties to encounter of 
no less magnitude. For example, our patients are often located 
in situations unfit for a well animal to reside in ; and they do not 



VI PREFACE. 

always receive that attention from their owners which the urgency 
of the case demands. In fact, the good nursing, kind attention, 
etc., which often proves of so much value in the restoration from 
sickness of one of our race, is often denied the inferior creature ; 
and other matters, too numerous to mention at the present time, 
tend to show the advantages which our brethren of a sister science 
have over us, and how necessary and important it is that a prac- 
titioner of our art should be thorough master of his profession. 
It is a lamentable fact that the great majority of our husband- 
men have not hitherto realized that the superstructure of veterin- 
ary science rests on the same intelligent basis as that of human 
medicine ; but such is really the case. In the language of the la- 
mented Percivall, we are assured that " whether we prescribe for 
a man, horse, or any animal, the laws of the animal economy are 
the same ; all require the same treatment," that is to say, the 
propositions for restoration are all founded on the same intelligent 
basis. 

The importance, therefore, of educating men for the profession, 
and of furnishing reliable works for study, is very evident • and 
the necessity is further illustrated in the daily experience of those 
persons w r ho, as a matter of necessity, are obliged to do the best 
they can for the sick and dying of their flocks and herds, having 
no knowledge of those advantages which a thorough course of 
training affords. Such persons must, necessarily, feel that they are 
groping in darkness, and when a ray of light does flit across their 
medical path, it only serves to make them better acquainted with 
their own want of skill. Persons thus circumstanced, unable to 
procure the services of a good veterinary surgeon, in consequence 
of a scarcity of the " genuine material," are often compelled to 
assume the responsibility and risk of medical attendant ; and, no 
doubt, they prescribe with good intention and honesty of purpose, 
but disease and death has the vantage of them, for they know not 
tho modes of pathological warfare, nor are they acquainted with 
means best calculated to insure a favorable issue; and they will 
certainly hail, as a great blessing, any and every effort to im- 
prove our veterinary literature, and thus diffuse knowledge so 
sadly needed. 

It is well known that prior to the introduction of a rational 
system of veterinary medicine in the mother country, millions of 
domestic animals were annually sacrificed at the shrine of igno- 



PREFACE. VU 

ranee ; but science came to the rescue, and now some of the dis- 
ciples of St. Bel, Coleman, their co-workers and kindred spirits, 
can, by the aid of their vast materia medica, their anaesthetic 
agents, scalpel, etc., accomplish unheard of wonders. We are 
now working to dispel the awful cloud of ignorance and super- 
stition which has too long lingered around the stable and barn. 
We aim to illuminate the dark spots that have existed for many 
hundreds of years, and to obliterate the false theories that have 
been handed down to us by the Egyptians and Arabians, and the 
modern jugglers of this science. 

There never was a period in the history of the United States 
when the services of educated veterinarians were so much needed 
as at the present time ; for the live stock of this country do not 
enjoy immunity from those pestiferous epizootic maladies which 
have formerly operated as a withering simoom on the enterprise 
of British husbandmen in the breeding and raising of live stock. 
For example : the people of the Western States complain that a 
disease occasionally makes its appearance among cattle, to which 
they have applied the name of " trembles," or " milk sickness," 
and it has so scourged both the superior and inferior orders of 
creation, that the former have often abandoned the old homestead, 
in view of seeking a location where there seemed to be some pros- 
pect of enjoying immunity from the pestilential scourge. A con- 
tagious and infectious disease often prevails among swine, carry- 
ing them off by hundreds and by thousands, yet many of us are in 
the dark regarding its cause, nature, and treatment. Typhoid 
affections, puerperal fever, apoplexy, and dropsy of the brain are 
just as prevalent here as in England. Miscarriage or abortion is 
fearfully on the increase. Diseases of climatic origin are more 
rife in this country than in England. This is, perhaps, owing to,< 
the diversity which exists in the climatic temperature of our vast 
territory, and to our various faulty modes of management. In fact,, 
there is scarcely any disease known to veterinarians of the Old 
World but that has prevailed in the New. 

We must have reliable text-books and educated surgeons, in; 
order to understand the nature and treatment of the diseases in- 
cidental to domestic animals. It is not only a matter of national, 
but of individual, policy and interest; and should we view the- 
matter with the eyes of business men, we shall see that such en- 
terprise must surely pay. 



Vlll PREFACE. 

Persons who have paid any attention to the rise and progress 
of veterinary science in this country, are painfully aware of its 
great imperfections, and the author's object in preparing this work 
is to endeavor to lessen and remove them, by giving the reader 
the benefit of an experience which extends through a period of 
twenty-five years. 

In view of furnishing reliable information, and of showing how 
little of medicine is required for the treatment of various forms 
of disease, a number of cases, recorded in the author's note-book, 
are introduced in various parts of the work. These cases may, 
perhaps, also give the unprejudiced reader juster views of the 
relations of nature and art to diseases ; for it is a notorious fact 
that very many well-instructed persons of all classes have hith- 
erto exercised a blind faith in the medical art for the cure of dis- 
ease, when it is a fact well known to those who practice rational 
medicine that Nature possesses vastly greater powers than Art in 
curing diseases. What is here meant by nature, is the conserva- 
tive power inherent in the living body. For a better understand- 
ing of this subject, the reader is referred to the works of Sir John 
Forbes, Oliver W. Holmes, and Professor Bigelow. 

In view of aiding nature in the cure of disease, the author has 
introduced to the reader's attention a new class of remedies, viz. : 
Fluid Extracts of a sanative character. They have proved more 
safe and efficacious in the practice of rational medicine than all 
the other heroic arms of physic. 

These remedies have been carefully tested for several years by 
the author, and those students who have, from time to time, placed 
themselves under his instruction, and the result has been very 
satisfactory ; otherwise, they would not be recommended in this 
work. 

Finally, the author feels it due to himself to state that the 
almost constant occupation of his time, professionally, has given 
him less opportunity than he desired for the production of this 
work, yet he entertains a hope that he has not labored in vain ; 
and thus this mite is cast into the common treasury of Veterinary 
Science. 

G. H. D. 



CONTENTS. 



SECTION I. — The Rinderpest, or Contagious Pleuro-Pneumonia. 

(Page 15-34.) 

Origin of the Disease in Massachusetts — Spread of the Disease — The Cattle 
Plague in Kentucky. 

SECTION II. — Diseases of the Organs of Eespiration. 

(Page 35-53.) 

Croup — Laryngitis — Bronchitis— Inflammation of the Lungs — Hoose or Com- 
mon Catarrh — Epizootic Catarrh — Consumption — Pharyngitis (Sore Throat) — ■ 
Pulmonary Apoplexy — Pleurisy, and Description of the Pleura. 

SECTION III. — Diseases of the Digestive Organs. 

(Page 54-87.) 

Description of the CEsophagus — Foreign Bodies in the Gullet — ^Esophagot- 
omy — Laceration of the CEsophagus — Aphthae— Description of the Stomach — 
Rumination — Bloat — Distension of the Rumen with Food — Gastro-intestinal In- 
flammation — Dentition of Cattle — Synopsis of Dentition— Suspended Rumina- 
tion, or Loss of Cud — Inflammation of the Bowels — Invagination of Intestine- 
Diarrhea — Chronic Diarrhea — Gut Tie — Internal Bupture of Oxen — Flatulent 
Colic — Spasm of the Bowels — Constipation of Bowels. 



SECTION IV. -Parturition. 

(Page 88-98.) 

Signs of Laoor, or Parturition — Natural Labor — Unnatural Labor — Fore-legs 
Presenting — One Fore-leg Presenting — Head Presenting without the Legs — Ex- 
traction of a Calf on its Back — Hind-legs Presenting — Breech Presentation — 
Cleansing, or Removal of the After-birth — Back of the Calf Presenting at the 
Brim of the Pelvis — Uterine Hemorrhage — Birth of Twins — Triplets. 
(ix) 



X CONTENTS. 

SECTION V. — Diseases of the Generative Organs. 

(Page 99-113.) 

Constriction of the Neck of the Uterus — Embryotomy — Treatment of Cows 
during Pregnancy — Symptoms of Pregnancy — Dropsy of the Womb — Puerperal 
Fever — Falling of the Womb. 

SECTION VI.— Diseases op the Udder, Teats, etc. 

(Page 113-124.) 

Mammitis — Stricture in Cows' Teats — Obstruction at the end of the Teats — 
Obstruction in the Teats — Tumors in the Teats — Injuries to the Teats — Sore 
Teats — Chapped Teats and Chafed Udder — Inversion of the Vagina — Lacera- 
tion of the Vagina — Abortion — Inflammatory Affections of the Hind Limbs after 
Calving. 

SECTION VII. — Diseases op the Urinary Organs. 

(Page 125-135.) 

Description of the Urinary System — The Ureters — The Bladder — The Ure- 
thra — Hematuria — Inflammation of the Kidneys — Urinary Calculi — Calculi in 
the Bladder— Black Water— Eed Water. 

SECTION VIII. — The Heart— Its Functions and Diseases. 

(Page 136-149.) 

Description of the Heart — The Heart's Function — Diseases of the Heart — 
Dilatation of the Heart — Pericarditis — Hypertrophy — Endocarditis. 

SECTION IX. — Diseases op the Eye and its Membranes. 

(Page 150-157.) 

Description of the Eye — Humors of the Eye — Coats of the Eye — Muscles of 
the Eye and Eyelids— Ophthalmia — Foreign Bodies in the Eyes — Specific or 
Periodical Ophthalmia — Cancer in Cattle. 

SECTION X.— Hernia, or Kuptures. 
(Page 158-163.) 
Forms of Kvrpture — Inguinal Hernia — Strangulated Hernia — Ventral Hernia. 

SECTION XI,— Diseases of the Bones. 

(Page 164-195.) 

Cachexia Ossafraga — Bone Disorders — Mechanism and Structure of Bones — 
Composition of Bones — Ultimate Constituents of Bones — Dilatation of the Jaw 
Bones — Abscess beneath the Periosteum, at the Angle of the Jaw — Exostosis, or 



CONTENTS. Xl 

Deposit of the Calcareous Matter on the Surface of Bones — Caries, or Ulcera- 
tion of Bones — Preliminary to Horn-Ail — On Sympathy and the Sympathetic 
Relations which exist in the Animal Economy — Horn-Ail — Tail-Ail. 

SECTION XII.— Diseases of the Brain. 

(Page 196-206.) 

Inflammation of the Brain and its Membranes — Sturdy in Cattle — Shaking 
Palsy — Hydrophobia. 

SECTION XIII— The Liver and its Diseases. 

(Page 207-215.) 

Description of the Liver — Secretion of Bile ; its Uses, etc. — Gall-bladder — 
Inflammation of the Liver — Hydatids — Jaundice, or Yellows. 

SECTION XIV.— Diseases op the Skin. 

(Page 216-226.) 

Exanthemata, or Eruptive Fever — Mange — Foul in the Foot— Warts — Gad- 
flies — Yoke Galls — The Hair of Cattle an Epidermic Appendage — Pemphygis 
or Vesicular Eruption — Cracks in the Heels of Cattle. 

SECTION XV. — Various Operations and Diseases. 

(Page 227-263.) 

Castration — Enzootic Milk Sickness, or Trembles — Improved Method of Milk- 
ing — Diseased Thymus Gland — Cords in Young Calves — Steamed and Cooked 
Food for Stock — Cheap Fodder for Cows — Black Tongue — Fractured Bones — ■ 
Fractured Badius of a Calf — Light in Barns— Diarrhea in Calves — Sprains or 
Strains — Spaying Cows. 

SECTION XVI. — Remarks on the Cattle Pdague. 
(Page 264-301.) 

SECTION XVII— Diseases of Sheep. 

(Page 302-312.) 

Improvement in Sheep — Rot, or Hydatids in the Liver — Yellows — Vertigo, 
or Giddiness — Jackets or Blankets for Sheep— Foot-rot — Grubs in the Nostrils 
— Ticks — Inflammation of the Eye — Inflammation of the Lungs — Common Ca- 
tarrh — Diarrhea and Dysentery — Constipation of the Bowels — Tympanites, or 
Windy Distension of the Intestines and Abdomen. 



Xll CONTENTS. 

SECTION XVIII— Diseases of Swine. 

(Page 313-342.) 

Effects of Impure Air on Swine — Measles in Pork — Quinsy — Hernia, or Kup- 
ture — Intestinal Worms — Hog Cholera — Trichina Spiralis. 

Guide to Symptoms 355 

Glossary 351 

Table op Weights 362 

Lndex 363 




DADD'S 



AMERICAN CATTLE DOCTOR. 





PLEURO -PNEUMONIA^—^ 



EXPLANATION. 

Tho above cut represents the geneology of pleuro-pneumonia, as it occurred in Massachu- 
setts, a few years ago. It commenced with Mr. Chenery's herd, and spread in the above 
order. The names are those of the parties whose herds took the disease by infection or con- 
tagion. (See article Pleuro-pneumonia.) 



(14) 



THE 



AMERICAN CATTLE DOCTOR. 



SECTION I. 



THE RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO- 
PNEUMONIA. 

Origin of the Disease in Massachusetts — Spread of the Disease — Thb 
Cattle Plague in Kentucky. 

Origin of the Disease in Massachusetts. 

IN the early part of the spring of 1859, Mr. W. "W. Chenery 
sent to Holland for three cows and one heifer. • They arrived 
in Boston on the 23d of May. Two of the cows were found to 
be in very bad condition. The first died at the end of a week, 
and was buried; the second one died two days afterward, and 
was also buried. About the 26th of June the third cow was found 
to be sick ; she died the 29th day of June. The next cow found 
to be diseased was taken sick in August. This cow was imported 
from Holland in 1852. She died in about a fortnight from the 
time she was first taken. The disease then spread among the 
rest of the herd owned by Mr. Chenery, of which he lost a 
large number. 

I examined the two cows that were landed sick. They did not 
appear to manifest any symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia, but seemed 
to have suffered terribly from the effects of the voyage. They had 
got down during the latter part of the voyage, and the external 
surface of the body was so bruised and abraded that some of the 
bones were visible. But perhaps Mr. Chenery's own history of 

(15) 



16 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the origin of the disease in Massachusetts may be the best that can 
be given, which I here present to the reader : 

Boston, Mass., March 7, 1860. 

Dear Sir : In compliance with your request, I take pleasure in fur- 
nishing you a succinct account of my last importation of cattle from 
Holland, and also of the disease that subsequently prevailed in my 
herd at the Highland Farm, iu Belmont, as is now generally supposed, 
in consequence of that importation. 

It may be remarked that I had previously made two importations 
from Holland, and the extraordinary superiority of the animals received 
from that source, in comparison either with our native or any of the 
foreign breeds heretofore imported, induced me to increase my stock 
of Dutch cattle by further importations, rather than await the natural 
increase from those already imported. Accordingly, in December, 
1858, I transmitted an order to my correspondents in Schiedam, Hol- 
land, instructing them to employ a competent person expressly to pro- 
ceed to the north of Holland and make selections of the best animals 
that could be obtained, without regard to the expense. Following my 
instructions, four cows were procured from Purmerend and the Beem- 
ster, and were duly shipped at Rotterdam, on board the barque " J. C. 
Humphreys," which vessel sailed from that port early in April, and 
arrived here on the 23d of May, 1859. 

Upon examination, the cows were found to be in an extremely bad 
condition — very much bruised and emaciated — one of them, as the 
mate of the barque stated, not having been on her feet during the 
twenty days preceding her arrival, while another one was totally una- 
ble to walk, and these two animals were accordingly carried to the farm 
in wagons. The remaining two were driven out. Deeming it impos- 
sible for the first-mentioned cow to recover, she was, on the 31st of 
May, slaughtered, and on the 2d of June following the second cow 
died. At that time, in common with every one knowing the facts in 
the case, I was so fully persuaded that the bad condition of these ani- 
mals was caused by neglect on the voyage, that I libeled the vessel, 
and went through a course of one hundred and fifty dollars' worth of 
law in my endeavors to obtain indemnity for the loss ; but the law is 
uncertain, and the barque went on her way. My mind, however, re- 
mains unchanged with regard to the treatment the animals received on 
the voyage. The third cow of this importation seemed to be doing 
well until about the 20th of June, when she became sick, and died in 
ten days after. The fourth cow, " Lady Beemster," has, down to thi3 
time, shown no indications of sickness, but is, on the contrary, in » 
thriving condition. 



RINDERrEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 17 

Early in the month of August following, symptoms of disease were 
observable iu the Dutch cow, "Lady Louise" (imported in 1852). 
She died on ihe 20th of the same month. About this time several 
other animals were taken sick, in rapid succession, and then it was that 
the idea was first advanced that the disease was identical with that 
known in Europe as " epizootic pleuro-pneumonia." From that date 
every possible precaution was taken to pi*event the spread of the sup- 
posed distemper, strict orders having been given that no animals should 
be allowed to leave the farm, nor any strange cattle to come upon the 
premises. A temporary building was erected, in a pasture at consider- 
able distance from the farm barn, to which the animals not infected were 
removed, and disinfecting agents were used about the premises, etc. 

The following extract from my letter-book, in answer to aja applica- 
tion for stocx during the prevalence of the disease, will serve to show 
my views with regard to it at that time : " I am at present, obliged to 
decline any applications for stock, owing to an epidemic disease in my 
herd. The disease is that known as ' pleuro-pneumonia,' and I have 
already lost seventeen head, and have ten more very sick. I am using 
every precaution to prevent the disease from spreading, and you will, 
of course, see the propriety of my refusing to allow any animal to leave 
the farm until the infection has ceased." 

It is manifest that the means used to prevent the spread of the dis- 
temper have so far proved eminently successful, inasmuch as, notwith- 
standing I have lost some thirty animals (nearly half of my whole 
herd), there has not been a single case of the disease elsewhere in the 
neighborhood of my farm. 

As there seems to be an impression abroad that the disease in my 
case was confined exclusively to the Dutch stock, I would remark that 
such is not the fact ; that, on the contrary, they have, comparatively, 
been more exempt from it than any other breed. It is not, however, 
confined to any particular breed, or to any age or sex, as the full-grown. 
ox, the mature cow, and the young calf have been alike prostrated by. 
it; and of the animals lost, five were thorough-bred Dutch, five Dur- 
ham, one Ayrshire, one Guernsey, two Jerseys, five Devons, two natives- 
(all the natives on the farm), and the remainder were grade Dutch. 

There has been no new case of sickness in my herd since the death 
of the mammoth cow " Lady Washington," which occurred on the 8th 
of January, and I am, therefore, induced to believe that, so far as my 
animals are concerned, the disease has run its course. 

From the foregoing remarks, it will be perceived that some months 
ago, when the disease was raging, I believed it to be infectious or con- 
tagious ; but I confess that more recently the conviction has forced; 
itself upon me that it was of an entirely local character ; that the 
2 



18 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

lungs of the cattle had become diseased by breathing carbonic acid 
gas, generated in the cow-house in consequence of insufficient ventila- 
tion. The recent developments with regard to the spread of the disease 
in North Brookfield and vicinity — in tracing its origin to the calves 
that went from my farm in June last — together with the information I 
have just received in a letter from Holland upon the subject, will, I 
fear, force me back again to the belief that it is the veritable European 
scourge. 

With regard to the treatment of the disease, I can only say that 
several of our most eminent veterinary surgeons have availed them- 
selves of the opportunity to study the disease, by post mortem exami- 
nations and otherwise, and are, doubtless, competent to give valuable 
information upon the subject. My own private opinion, based upon 
costly experience, is, that whenever an animal becomes really sick with 
this distemper, the best teatment is to slaughter and bury forthwith. 

In concluding this long letter, I beg to say that, if it shall prove 
that through my eiforts to improve the breeds of neat cattle, I have 
been the means of introducing this disease into the country, I am sure 
no one can possibly regret it more sincerely than myself. At the same 
time, I feel some consolation in believing that, provided the disease 
cau be restricted to any thing like its present limits, the benefits con- 
ferred by the introduction of the Dutch cattle here will more than 
outweigh the losses incurred by the introduction of the disease. 
Respectfully, 

WlNTHROP W. CHENERT. 

Spread of the Disease. 

The disease was introduced into North Brookfield from Bel- 
mont. Mr. C. Stoddard, a young man of North Brookfield, 
purchased of Mr. Chenery three calves. After arriving (by 
rail) at North Brookfield, they were driven toward the place of 
destination (about five miles). On the way, one of the calves was 
observed to falter, and at the end of the journey seemed to be 
quite sick. In two or three days, the father of the young man 
took the calf away to his own barn for treatment. In this barn 
were about forty head of cattle. The calf growing no better, the 
son took it back again to his own residence. In about ten days 
it died. Soon the senior Stoddard observed that one of his oxen 
was sick ; it soon died. Two weeks after, a second was taken sick 
and died. Finally, in the course of a short time he had lost eight 
oxen and cows. Young Stoddard lost no animal by the infection 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 19 

at that time. He sold, however, eleven heifers, and retained nine 
of the most valuable himself. These nine were four oxen and 
five young cattle. The four he took to his father, three of the 
others to his uncle, and the remaining two he left with his father- 
in-law. It was finally discovered that wherever these animals 
went they scattered the infection, without a single failure, show- 
ing that the disease was of a contagious character. It turned out, 
finally, that the herds of both father and son were badly diseased. 
Out of the nine formerly belonging to the son, seven were the 
subjects of pleuro-pneumonia. The elder Stoddard lost fourteen 
of his animals before the commissioners for the extirpation of the 
pest were appointed. The elder Stoddard kept about eight oxen, 
which he employed in teaming. He was drawing some lumber, 
and stopped over night at a neighbor's named Needham. The 
disease was communicated, and Mr. Needham finally lost his whole 
herd. Many died, while others were destroyed by order of the 
commissioners. Finally, Mr. Stoddard sold an animal to Mr. 
Woodis, of New Braintree, who had twenty-three fine cows. 
Seven or eight died before the commissioners got there, and the 
whole herd had to be condemned. Next, Mr. Stoddard sold a 
yoke of cattle to Mr. Olmstead. At the end of five days they 
had infected the whole herd. Finally, these cattle came into the 
hands of Mr. Doane. They were put in with twenty-two yoke 
of cattle, and employed a day and a half in moving a building 
from Oakham to North Brookfield. It was afterward proved that 
the whole of these cattle took the infection. Belonging, as they 
did, to eleven different herds, they carried the infection to eleven 
different farms, and thus, by contagion or infection, the cattle for 
miles around became the subjects of pleuro-pneumonia. The 
disease assumed such proportions that the commissioners had not 
funds sufficient (ten thousand dollars) to perform the operations 
required by law — namely, extirpation. And here it may be proper 
to inform the reader that the commissioners had no power to 
order an attempt at medicinal treatment. They were ordered to 
extirpate the malady — to kill and bury all infected herds; and 
this has, finally, proved to be, both in this and other countries, 
the cheapest way of getting rid of contagious pleuro-pneumonia. 

The following is a brief record of the autopsies made by veter- 
inary surgeons employed by the State of Massachusetts : 

Autopsy 1. — This cow appeared badly. She coughed, but, it 



20 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

was said, ate well. The posterior lobe of the lung adhered to the 
diaphragm, was indurated, and contained a cyst, in which was a 
very small quantity of pus and a mass of detached lung of the 
size of a quart measure. This was connected with the main por- 
tion of the lung by bronchi, some of which had been cut oif in 
such a manner as to admit air into the cyst. The mass was offen- 
sive, friable, and, on incision, did not present the bright, mottled, 
organized appearance of similar masses lying in air-tight cysts. 
There was no serum in the chest. — -Dr. Martin, April 12, 1860. 

Autopsy 2. — An ox, 7 years old. The lung was extensively 
and firmly adherent in various parts, and almost "as hard as a 
stone." On incision, there was found a large cyst, containing pus 
and lymph. — Drs. Dadd and Thayer, April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 3. — A steer, 3 years old. The owner said that this 
animal was but slightly, if at all sick. The left lung was adher- 
ent to the pleura costalis and diaphragm. On incision, there was 
found, in the middle, a large cyst, containing pulmonary tissue. 
The right lung was adherent, but its substance healthy. — Drs. 
Dadd and Thayer, April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 4. — A steer, 2 years old. Marked adhesion of the 
posterior superior portion of the lung to the diaphragm. Some 
consolidation of the lung. The right lung contained a cyst, in 
which was a mass not entirely separated. — Drs. Dadd and 
Thayer, April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 5. — A cow, 8 years old. The owner said that this 
animal was one of the most healthy in his herd. At the apex of 
the left lung was a very large slough. There was also red hepa- 
tization. — Drs. Dadd and Thay'er, April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 6. — An ox, 7 years old, owned by Curtis Stoddard, and 
exposed to the Chenery calf during the illness of the latter. The 
superior anterior portion of the right lung was much enlarged, 
and contained a large cyst, in which was a quantity of pus and a 
ii .ass of detached pulmonary tissue. Left lung adherent to the 
diaphragm. — Drs. Dadd and Tyler, April 20, 1860. 

Autopsy 7. — The anterior lobe of the right lung adhered to the 
sternum. A portion of the pulmonary tissue was separated and 
contained in a cyst. — Drs. Bates, Dadd, and Thayer, April 
21, 1860. 

Autopsy 8. — A yearling heifer. Much serum was found in the 
chest, and the pleural surfaces were extensively adherent. The 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 21 

substance of the right lung was completely marbled, some parts 
having suppurated, while others were only indurated. — Dr. Ty- 
ler, April 27, 1860. 

Autopsy 9. — Killed a cow which had been sick nineteen days. 
She was feeble; had but little appetite; diarrhea, cough, and 
shortness of breath ; hair rough, etc. Percussion dull all over 
the left side of the chest, with absence of normal respiration. The 
left pleural cavity contained several gallons of serum. Over the 
costal pleura was a firm layer of lymph, resembling the velvety 
parts of tripe- The whole lung was indurated, especially at its 
base, and brittle, like liver. No pus. Right side and lung 
healthy.— Dr. Martin, April 11, 1860. 

Autopsy 10. — Killed a cow, 10 years old. Sick since January. 
Dullness over the left side. On opening the chest, there flowed 
from it a stream of fetid matter as thick as tar. Strong adhesions 
to the ribs. In the lung was a large tumor, enveloped in a cyst, 
or sac. Right lung indurated. — Drs. Dadd, Thayer, and Ty- 
ler, April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 11. — Killed a calf, 3 weeks old. In the right pleural 
cavity was a quart of serum. Lymph, easily separated, was spread 
over the surface of the lung. The left lung adhered to the ribs, 
sternum, and pericardium. — Drs. Dadd, Thayer, and Tyler, 
April 19, 1860. 

Autopsy 12. — Killed a cow, 10 years old, which had been sick 
three or four months. The posterior superior portions of the right 
lung adhered so strongly to the ribs and diaphragm, that the 
knife was necessary for their separation. On opening the poste- 
rior part of the lung, a detached mass was found, very soft, sur- 
rounded by pus, and contained in a sac. Left lung healthy. — Drs. 
Bates, Dadd, and Thayer, April 21, 1860. 

Autopsy 13. — Left lung healthy, but slight adhesions to dia- 
phragm. Right lung firmly adherent to the diaphragm. In it 
was found a mass of consolidated lung, not entirely separated. — 
Drs. Bates, Dadd, and Thayer, April 21, 1860. 

Autopsy 14. — Killed a calf, 4 weeks old. Right lung inflamed. 
Left chest filled with serum. Lung covered with lymph. — Drs. 
Bates, Dadd, and Thayer, April 21, 1860. 

Autopsy 15. — Killed a cow, 9 years old, and mother of the calf. 
In the right lung was a cyst of the size of a pullet's egg, filled 
with pus. The left lung contained a small cyst, filled with the 



22 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

same. Heart flabby. — Drs. Bates, Dadd, and Thayer, April 

21, 1860. 

Autopsy 16. — Killed a stag that was in the "big team." Three 
months before, he had been sick for four weeks, but had recovered, 
and had been working very hard. Serum in the right pleural 
cavity. Lung indurated, and adherent throughout so strongly to 
the ribs and diaphragm, that it was necessary to cut or scrape it 
off. In this lung was a small cyst. — Examined May 9, 1860. 

Autopsy 17. — Killed the other stag. Left lung useless. Serum 
in the chest. Right lung in the acute inflammatory stage. 

These stags were taken December 3, 1860, in exchange for a 
yoke of oxen sold at the same time to William F. Doane, and 
kept with Olmstead's diseased herd. They were in the " big 
team" December 19. — Examined May 9, 1860. 

Many other autopsies were made by members of our sister pro- 
fession, human medicine, and the disease was always found to be 
seated within the chest. It was not of so formidable or malig- 
nant a character as it has proved to be in some parts of Europe, 
and probably this is owing to the fact, if fact it be, that in the 
transplantation of the disease from Holland to this country it has 
undergone some modification. 

From my own experience, I am led to believe that the Holland 
cattle inherit in their systems an idiosyncrasy or predisposition to 
pleuro-pneumonia, and that when the circumstances are favorable 
for its development — namely, impure air and bad management— 
the latent disease to which, by virtue of their constitution they 
are liable, is thus fanned into a flame. Being in its character 
contagious, it then spreads, according to the laws, or after the 
fashion which govern or obtain, in other epizootic contagious 
maladies. This must have been the case as regards Mr. Chen- 
ery's herd. Before his Dutch stock left Holland, they were care- 
fully examined by competent surgeons, well acquainted with the 
national disease pleuro-pneumonia, and a clean bill of health was 
rendered. It was also ascertained that the malady was not then 
prevailing in the localities where the animals were purchased; 
hence it manifested itself in the manner here described. The 
same is true as regards its introduction into the Cape of Good 
Hope. The animal was in perfect health on leaving Holland, 
but on arriving at the place of destination manifested the disease, 
and communicated it to others. 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS TLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 28 

The history of the disease in South Africa is quite interesting ; 
hence I introduce the following testimony, as given before a com- 
mittee of the Legislature of Massachusetts, by Bev. D. Lindley, 
lately a missionary in South Africa. He said : 

" The disease, whatever be its name, and it has different names, 
was introduced into South Africa a few years ago. It was intro- 
duced from Holland, imported in the body of a bull. A gentle- 
man in Cape Town, wishing to improve his stock, made that 
importation, and with it that disease which has been to South 
Africa the severest scourge that has ever fallen on its property 
interest. It was about six Aveeks after the animal landed (he 
having been on board the vessel on the passage about two months) 
before any sign of sickness appeared in him. At the time, it was 
not suspected that the disease was the lung contagion, so long 
known in Holland. However, he died. He communicated that 
disease to a considerable number of cattle, and before the people 
became aware of the evil that threatened them, it had scattered 
about them very extensively. 

" The question may arise in the mind of the committee, Why 
was it not at once exterminated there, as you propose to have it 
here ? The answer to this question will be found in this statement 
that I must make, in order that you may understand the circum- 
stances of that country. You will imagine New England, and a 
great part of the United States, divested of its woods, its forests, 
leaving, here and there, thickets and jungles, and a grass country 
that is without fences or any inclosures, and all this country spread 
over with cattle by the thousand (for the property of the inhabit- 
ants of the country consists in cattle and in sheep). I have seen 
1,600 in one herd, but generally the herds are from one hundred 
to five hundred. In those parts of the country where the lions 
and tigers have been exterminated, these cattle are allowed to roam, 
night and day, where they please, and they wander considerable 
distances, sometimes miles around. In addition to that, all the 
produce of the country that is brought to market, whether to supply 
the city of Cape Town or Port Elizabeth, or other towns lying 
along the coast, is brought down from the interior in large wagons, 
drawn by oxen. All the goods imported into the country and 
taken inland are conveyed on these wagons, drawn by oxen ; and 
to each wagon the custom of the country gives six pairs of oxen. 



24 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

The country is large, it being from Cape Town to the extremity 
of any civilization in the interior, twelve hundred miles, and across 
the plains to where I live, twelve hundred miles more. Well, this 
country is passed through, up and down, crosswise, and backward 
and forward, by hundreds of wagons and thousands of cattle every 
day. They have no railroads, no rivers — no other way of trans- 
porting goods from one point to another but this ox-wagon. Well, 
they are great sheep-raisers in this country, having five to ten 
thousand sheep in a flock, and I have seen as many as fourteen 
thousand in one flock. Their clips of wool are all sent down in 
these wagons to the coast. 

" In a country of this kind, where there are so many cattle, and 
where every thing is done by means of cattle, and they are trav- 
eling night and day, there is no possibility of killing out this dis- 
ease by extirpation. The seed had been so widely disseminated 
before the people knew what the matter was, that such a system 
was looked upon as hopeless, and the Government adopted no 
measures to stay it, and every man was left to look out for his own 
interests. I will say that, after it had got fairly spread abroad 
to a considerable extent, the inhabitants very generally resorted to 
inoculation ; and I will say, in passing, that we are indebted to 
that for about all the cattle we have left. We should have been 
flat on the ground, and no man could have got to the coast with 
his products or returned with his merchandise. Inoculation has 
saved us what we have, after six years. The disease was still at 
work when I came away, but it was more under subjection. It 
has killed hundreds and thousands of cattle, and I can assure 
you, gentlemen, that where it has come into a flock it has not 
left more than five out of a hundred. I was happily surprised 
when I heard Dr. Loring state that in the past year, in this State, 
not more than twenty per cent, had died. 

" With us, when an animal is known as having the disease, we 
look upon it as already dead; and I can affirm, without hesita- 
tion, that where it has got into a herd of cattle, not more than 
five out of a hundred have been spared. Occasionally one has 
passed through, and has not had the disease at all ; and a few, on 
the other hand — two or three in a hundred — have recovered, and 
no more. I know of one man who had five hundred head of 
cattle. The disease got in among them, and, finally, he had but 
five left. If I speak with emphasis, it is because I have had sad 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 25 

experience ; and I have been afraid that the good citizens of Mas- 
sachusetts might not be aware of the evil that I do most firmly 
believe threatens their property interest more than any thing that 
ever threatened it yet. 

" The disease has spread in every direction from Holland, and 
by contagion. I will give you facts on this matter of contagion. 
Well-meaning men — men of science, and who hold high and in- 
fluential stations — said it was not contagious; that it was impos- 
sible for a lung disease to be contagious, and, through their influ- 
ence, some herds suffered that might, to my certain knowledge, 
have been saved. One of the commissioners appointed was a 
man of some science, and he said, 'Poh! poh! it can not be 
contageous,' and the cattle were left, and the consequence is, it 
has spread over all the country around them. 

" I will tell you how the disease came to my particular neighbor- 
hood. A native went out as a peddler, over the Cathumba Mount- 
ains, into the interior, nearly three hundred miles. There he 
took cattle in payment for goods. He brought down a herd of 
oxen to the eastern coast. While on the way down, some of his 
oxen became sick, and he quietly put them out of the way; for 
he could travel one or two days, perhaps, and not see a single 
person, and the dead cattle were not likely to attract attention. 
He had that failing which we can pardon in others, as we see it in 
ourselves, that he cared a little more for himself than he did for 
his neighbors. He put the sick oxen out of the way, and brought 
down the rest and sold them. They were bought by a gentleman 
who had about one hundred and twenty oxen. The peddler's 
cattle, looking apparently well, were put into that herd. Pres- 
ently the disease broke out. It was in that instance that this 
doctor had the influence to prevent the slaughter of that herd, be- 
cause he said the affection was not contagious. These cattle were 
running about in the neighborhood — out on the plain twenty 
miles square, without fence and without tree, save here and there 
a bush — where were grazing thousands of cattle, and they ran 
just where they pleased. From this flock the contagion was 
communicated to all the cattle in the region. Oxen were travel- 
ing through the country every day (at least a hundred passing in 
a day), and in that way it was carried widely through the country. 
Until it was brought from a contaminated region in the interior 
by these oxen, the disease had never been within three hundred 



26 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

miles of us. I might give a thousand facts just equal to this, 
but I am mentioning what occurred in my neighborhood. 

" The disease had not crossed to the northward, to the Ungani 
River, until this happened : A man wished to convey a boat from 
Port Natal to a place about sixty miles to the northward. He 
put tne boat on a wagon, and took his six yoke of oxen to draw it. 
He traveled one day, and camped just outside of a village through 
which he had passed. In the morning he found one of his oxen 
sick. He had camped on a piece of ground where cattle grazed 
every day, and in a place where the people had thought them- 
selves safe. Finding his ox sick, he quietly took him and his 
mate out of the wagon, and, leaving them there, started on. 
These oxen remained through the day, and mixed with the many 
cattle owned in that village. The second day after they had been 
there, it was discovered that there was a sick ox in the field. The 
inhabitants were all out at once. They killed the ox, and, from 
the description, they saw that he had the disease they had dreaded. 
They immediately inoculated their cattle, and saved a goodly 
number of them. Now, in regard to that, I wish to make this 
statement. I made a statement which was honestly reported, I 
suppose, but mistakenly as a statement, that they had saved ninety 
per cent. ; in some instances not more than thirty per cent. Be- 
tween this and ninety is probably the average percentage saved. 
In this case, I mentioned that there was a clear, distinct instance 
where the sickness had been brought from the interior three hun- 
dred miles, and in the last case it was carried twenty miles. In 
another instance, two natives were trading, and brought the dis- 
ease from the country where they went, two hundred miles, and 
set it down in a perfectly healthy region, in a herd of about eighty 
cattle, and there it spread, and they were every one carried off. 

" Another fact, and one with which I had to do myself. A na- 
tive, a stupid heathen, was working for an Englishman in an 
infected region. He took his pay in cattle — two calves, I think, 
a year or a year and a half old. He carried them into a healthy 
district, where the disease had been kept out, and within twenty 
miles of which it was not known. Presently these calves fell 
sick and died, and the cattle with which they were placed began 
to be sick. I had in my service a young man belonging to that 
village, which was twelve miles from where I lived. A messenger 
came to this young man to say, ' Your cattle are sick.' When I 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 27 

heard that, I began to inquire if any cattle had been brought from 
within the infected region to his kraal. They said such an one 
(meaning the native before mentioned) had been working with a 
man, and taken two head of cattle for his pay. He came back, 
a little more than two months ago, with these cattle, and they 
took sick and died, and now our other cattle are sick. I saw at 
once what the matter was ; for I knew that the region where these 
two cattle were taken from was wholly contaminated. I said, 
' Your cattle will all die ; you ought to tell your neighbors to keep 
their cattle away from you.' I asked him, further, if his cattle 
had mixed with other cattle, and he said, c There are three kraals 
that have mixed with ours ; so it was too late, and the result was, 
they all died. I told the young man whom I sent to go and warn 
the neighbors. He did so, and they took their cattle in the oppo- 
site direction to grass, and for two years before I came away not 
a single herd of the cattle around them had taken the disease. 
Just those that were exposed to the contagion, and no others, died. 
The neighbors' cattle continued in a state of perfect health for two 
years after those four herds (one hundred or one hundred and 
thirty head) had died, right out there in the heart of a healthy 
region, a region as large as a county. 

" I can not doubt that the disease was communicated by con- 
tagion, and that if the animals can be cut off, the disease will be 
kept off. It was kept off in the region in which I lived in this 
way. The chief with whom I have lived occupies a considerable 
extent of territory, and he is fortunately fortified on one side by 
a range of mountains, and on the other by a precipice some hun- 
dred feet in height. He had assembled his tribe for another pur- 
pose, and, wanting my advice in reference to some political diffi- 
culties, he sent a messenger to tell me of his trouble. I went to 
him, and, after that matter was settled, I took occasion to tell him 
that the sickness was within Svme forty miles of us. I told him 
what the disease had done and would do, and I said to him, 
'There is just one thing to do, and that is, to keep your cattle 
where they are, and not allow any to go out or come in.' The 
people there love their cattle, as they say, better than they love 
their lives. They took the alarm, and every effort that was made, 
on the part of any one, to bring cattle into the country was im- 
mediately and stoutly resisted. The intruder was met with spear 
and shield, and threatened with death and destruction to himself 



28 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

and his cattle if he came a step further, and so was made to go 
back. Only half a mile off, within sight of these cattle, dead 
animals were lying unburied that had been exposed to this con- 
tagion. The disease was brought there by the oxen of an indi- 
vidual who had been into the interior, and when he came home 
his oxen died. They communicated the disease to all the cattle 
in that neighborhood, and I never saw more complete destruction. 
There was not a single head left in all those kraals. Those cattle 
came up to within half a mile of our boundary, and you could 
look down and see herds of them lying dead. That was three 
years ago, and yet, when I came away, the disease had not got 
one inch over that line. 

" These are facts that I have seen and know ; and in that coun- 
try, if you should ask us, 'Is the disease communicated by con- 
tagion?' we would say l Yes,' and we should just as soon doubt 
that the sun made daylight. There are thousands upon thou- 
sands of facts to prove it. We have no more questions to ask on 
that subject. You will see how widely the disease might spread 
in a country like that, where cattle are so abundant, where the 
travel is continued day and night, and where thousands of oxen 
are on the road every twenty-four hours. It has been to that 
country a great scourge. Thousands and hundreds of thousands 
of cattle have died, and many of the people have been made poor 
by the ravages of the disease, and the only hope they have of 
securing a comfortable subsistence, and recovering a comfortable 
position in respect to property, is through sheep. They have 
given up all idea of grazing cattle, and are now turning their at- 
tention to sheep; for the disease is so widely spread, that they 
have no hope that it will ever be exterminated. 

" I do not know that I have any thing further to state. I might 
repeat hundreds and hundreds of facts of precisely this character. 
If I have appeared earnest in my statements — somewhat as if I 
was making a speech, which is, perhaps, my profession — I hope 
you will not attribute it to any other motive than a wish to make 
you fear as I think you ought to fear. Massachusetts has enacted 
some glorious history, whereof you have famous monuments, and 
I hope that pluck will not be wanting now." 

From such evidence as the foregoing, there can not be any 
doubt regarding the contagious element of the disease. 



rinderpest, or contagious pleuropneumonia. 29 

The Cattle Plague in Kentucky. 

The Cattle Plague of Kentucky is known in Texas as " Texas 
Fever." There are, at the present time, about one hundred thou- 
sand head of cattle pastured along the eastern and north-eastern 
limits of the State of Louisiana, destined for the markets of the 
Mississippi. They are detained where they are by the statutes 
of neighboring States, which forbid their being driven through 
them before the 10th of November, the reason being a disease 
called the " Texas," or cattle fever, which prevails in the summer 
months, and is contagious. 

Some of these Texas cattle were brought into the State of Ken- 
tucky early in August, 1866, and shortly after the disease made 
its appearance, the details of which were communicated to the 
"Lexington Observer and Reporter" in the following letter: 

Scott County, Ky., September 1, 1866. 
Col. L. J. Bradford, President of Kentucky State Agricultural Society : 

Dear Sir — This section of the country has been much disturbed, 
in the last few weeks, owing to a frightful disease which has made its 
appearance among the cattle, killing many, making some blind, and 
otherwise affecting a large number. There was no disease among the 
cattle of these interior counties prior to the introduction of a large 
lot from Texas by General R. Gano. It has been asserted, and be- 
lieved, for a long time, that the Texas cattle would propagate a pecu- 
liar and destructive disease. Missouri, in consequence, established a 
cattle quarantine, and, I believe, passed a prohibitory law ; hence, for 
some time, that State has not been visited with this fatal malady. 
Kentucky has it now, and there can be no doubt, in the minds of 
those who have been informed of the facts, that it was introduced by 
the Texas cattle. 

Reason. — My mother-in-law, Mrs. James K. Duke, who lives nine 
miles from Lexington and four from Georgetown, in this county, on 
one of the best and most beautiful farms in the State, on which no 
disease of any kind had ever occurred, took upon pasture, the 28th 
of June last, over three hundred of these Texas cattle. None of her 
own ran with them. They remained until the 3d of August, looked 
healthy, and grazed well. Within five or six days after they had been 
taken away, a lot of Kentucky cattle (a great many raised on the 
farm) were turned on the pasture which had been occupied by the 
Texas cattle. No danger was apprehended, but, within a week or ten 



30 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

days, it was discovered that the disease had broken out among them. 
Attention was immediately given. All were removed from the pas- 
ture, and the sick separated from the well. Two or three died almost 
immediately. 

External Symptoms. — Dull, stupid, stiff; separation from the herd; 
drooping of the head; disinclination to eat; trembling, cramping, 
staggering, falling, and, in many cases (I do not know that there is 
an exception), compression of the jaws. Some are made perfectly 
blind — none on this farm, but on an adjoining one, that of Mr. Charles 
Herndon, whose milch cows, calves, and a few steers were affected first 
in the eyes (some in one, some in both) ; and it was a week or ten 
days after the disease manifested itself in this way before these or 
others began to seriously sicken and die. 

Internal Symptoms, as far as Observed. — Blood, very black and 
thick ; heart, only slightly affected ; lungs, perfectly sound and healthy ; 
the manifold, or second stomach, very much contracted, with the fecal 
matter, hard, dry, and compact; the paunch, or first stomach, almost 
empty, and with no apparent change ; bowels, contracted, nearly empty, 
and extremely costive; bladder, generally containing only a small 
quantity of thick, high-colored urine. In a few cases they discharge 
a considerable quantity of bloody urine. 

Up to the present time Mr. Herndon has lost eight or ten out of a 
lot of twenty-five or thirty ; Mrs. Duke, with a herd of seventy-five, 
has lost twenty. Another neighbor, Mr. James Kenney, where only 
Texas cattle remained, lost two. A gentleman near Oxford, Scott 
County, lost twelve ; another near Midway, Woodward County, lost 
sixteen, from turning on a pasture where the Texas cattle had been 
but one night and part of a day. Many others have died in the wake 
of these Texas cattle, yet it is a remarkable fact that the disease has 
broken out nowhere in a malignant form save where these imported 
cattle have been. On the farm of Mrs. Duke, her milch cows and 
calves, which were kept near the house, and in the central part of 
the place, and not allowed to mix with these foreign cattle, or run 
on the pasture where they had been, are and have been free from, 
the disease, and milk and butter used all the time. 

What is the Disease? — I think it is nothing less than the cattle 
plague, of which we have heard so much of late as raging with such 
terrible fatality in Europe. In England it is called the rinderpest, 
in Russia, cattle plague; in Mexico and Texas, the Spanish fever. 
The symptoms are very similar. In almost every case thus far it 
has proved fatal. The rinderpest could not be worse. 

How is it Communicated? — Dr. J. Burden Sanderson, of England, 
discovered that the blood of the animal affected with cattle plague 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEUROPNEUMONIA. 31 

contained the poison of the malady, so that serum obtained from it 
would give the disease by inoculation. Now, how did these Texas 
cattle communicate this disease, when they were apparently healthy? 
Spanish fever is an endemic disease of Texas, and cattle have been 
for years dying with it, sometimes, in certain localities, prevailing as 
an epidemic. No disease, however, even in the form of epidemic, is 
always fatal ; but I am sure, from the natural course of things, the 
discovery of Sanderson, and from facts herein given, that some of those 
Texas cattle had this disease in their systems, and brought it to 
Kentucky, so that the poison has inoculated our cattle and produced 
the disease from which they are now suffering. 

Our grasses seem to have had the effect to eliminate the poison 
through their kidneys, bowels, and, perhaps, through the lungs, which, 
being deposited on the pasture, was left ready for the first that fol- 
lowed after them. Our Kentucky cattle, of course, not being acclimated, 
are readily susceptible to the infection of the poison, and have suf- 
fered accordingly. The disease is entirely distinct from any we have 
ever had in the State before — attacks suddenly, affects singularly, 
and kills in almost every case. One who has ever seen a case can 
point out the cattle affected with it as soon as they begin to sicken. 

Thus far, Mrs. Duke has lost twenty out of twenty-six cases. On 
the 25th of August she commenced feeding green corn. Since that 
date only one has died — five getting well, and no others sickening. 
Every case, with the exception of blindness at Mr. Herndon's, one case 
of purging at Mr. Kenney's, and two of bloody urine, were affected 
precisely alike; so much so, that the description of one would answer 
for all, the symptoms being more uniform than in any epidemic I have 
ever seen or known. The fact that this disease has been brought here 
by Texas cattle I regard as perfectly certain, no such disease having 
ever appeared here prior to their coming into the State, and none 
occurring, so far as can be ascertained, save where they have been. 

It is well known that they introduced the same disease into Mis- 
souri for several consecutive years, and the State was only relieved 
of the pestilence by the Legislature passing prohibitory laws, making 
it a heavy penalty to bring a single one into the State. It is true 
they come here seemingly healthy, but may they not, as I suggested 
before, bring it in their systems, and, through the effect of grasses 
upon their bowels and kidneys, deposit the poison upon our pastures 
by their urine and dung? The theory that the disease is communi- 
cated through the feet, or by the ticks, I think fallacious, and will not 
discuss it. Their feet are healthy, smooth, and sound, and the ticks 
on them can be found almost anywhere in Kentucky. I have seen 
them often. 



32 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Prior to using the green corn, I am informed, by Dr. A. B. Duke, 
that salt and ashes, soda, sulphur, copperas, bleeding in the mouth, 
neck, ears, and tail were resorted to without any good effect ; but it 
is not conclusive that green corn will be of any material service. It 
was only an experiment, did good in a few cases on Mrs. Duke's farm, 
but has not yet checked the cases on Mr. Herndon's. It is impos- 
sible to give a remedy so soon. It requires much experience and ex- 
periment, and it would be well for farmers in Kentucky to look into 
the matter and prepare for it. 

An Agricultural College has been established near Lexington. 
Would it not be well to have Veterinary Surgery studied — in fact, 
have a special chair for that profession? Many young men will 
study it, and it is as important as any other. The diseases of cattle, 
horses, hogs, and sheep are as little known and understood in Ken- 
tucky as though stock never did suffer from disease. Kentucky has 
long been known and noted as a cattle or stock-breeding, raising, and 
feeding State. If she would maintain prominence, and protect her 
greatest interest, she must establish quarantines and pass laws shut- 
ting out this terrible pestilence from her borders, and prepare for 
the cure and relief of her fine stock. 

Most respectfully your obedient servant, 

G. Clay Smith. 

The following is my reply to the above : 

Chicago, III., September 13, 1866. 
G. Clay Smith, Esq.: 

Dear Sir — Through the kindness of R. W. Carroll & Co., of Cin- 
cinnati, I am in possession of an article, over your signature, having 
reference to the "Cattle Plague in Kentucky." I have carefully 
perused the article and compared the symptoms, as described, and 
find that the disease bears no analogy to the rinderpest in Europe, 
nor the pleuro-pneumonia of Holland, which was imported into Mas- 
sachusetts about six years ago, where I had ample opportunities of 
studying it, having been appointed by Governor Banks as surgeon to 
the commission appointed to extirpate the pest. 

The Texas bovine malady, just introduced in Kentucky, is peculiar 
to the breed of Texas. In that country the disease has acquired a 
home in the constitutions of animals bred and reared there. The 
disease lurks in the breed in a latent form, and, when circumstances 
are favorable for its development, it manifests itself, and becomes both 
contagious and infectious; and thus it spreads after the fashion of 
the rinderpest and other bovine epizootics. 



RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 33 

Your suggestion in regard to establishing a special chair for Vet- 
erinary Science in the Agricultural College of Kentucky is a move 
in the right direction. The husbandmen of Kentucky have great in- 
terests at stake in the ownership of a vast number of some of the 
finest stock iu the world. They are subject to most of the diseases 
that afflict the superior orders of creation, and the theory and prac- 
tice of veterinary medicine and surgery rests upon the same intelli- 
gent basis as that which obtains in human medicine. It makes no 
difference whether we prescribe for a man or an animal, the laws of 
the animal economy are the same ; each one is susceptible, and can 
be benefited by the same plan of treatment. Hence the need of vet- 
erinary schools of learning in the United States for the instruction 
of those who shall engage in the practice of our art. The science 
has been sadly neglected in this country, but a period has arrived 
when we must have educated men to prescribe for our flocks and 
herds. Humanity demands it — our own interests reiterate the de- 
mand. Thousands upon thousands of valuable animals die annually, 
prematurely and unnecessarily, in consequence of a want of knowl- 
edge of the nature of the disease and the modus operandi of medicine. 

I know of no better locality in the United States than Kentucky 
for the establishment of a rational system of teaching veterinary 
science at an Agricultural College ; and permit me, dear sir, to urge 
you to use your efforts for the above purpose. Such an undertaking, 
if successful (and I have no doubt of it), will reflect great credit on 
you, and finally crown your State with the laurel of veterinary fame. 
Yours respectfully, 

G-. H. Dadd, V. S. 

Causes. — There is a great deal of doubt in regard to the manner 
in which infectious and contagious principles invade the economy, 
yet I think we shall not miss the mark in contending that it is 
chiefly through the medium of the lungs that they are introduced 
into the system ; and, finally, the pernicious substance is absorbed 
into the blood, which it, more or less, quickly vitiates, and thus 
occasions the subsequent symptoms. All contagious diseases differ 
from one another. Every one possesses its own peculiar powers, 
by which, when they have come into bodies favoring their action,, 
through the proper channel of communication, they every one pro- 
create their own distinct form of disease by a constant and uniform 
law ; hence the contagion of rinderpest produces its specific effect 
on the system, spending its force principally on the respiratory- 
organs. The virus of glanders will not produce any other dis- 
3 



84 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

ease than glanders. The same remarks apply to rabies, scarlet 
fever, small pox, etc. ; so that the virus of Texas fever produces 
that disease and no other. The agents through which the virus 
is most readily concocted are animal emanations, or secretions, 
particularly the effluvia arising from the excretions of infected 
animals, and that arising from the carcasses of those that have 
died of the complaint. Hence, all that succumb to the same 
should be buried or burned. 

When a large number of animals are crowded together, And 
the disease makes its appearance, the looation may be designated 
as the center of infection. In that event they need more space, 
and must have it, or the disease will run riot among them; yet 
the cordon sanataire must be drawn around them, for, if fresh 
cattle come within breathing distance, the chances are that the 
malady will spread. 

Treatment. — In regard to the treatment of this malady I have 
but little to offer. Medicine has but little control over diseases 
of this character, yet I should recommend isolation, pure air, and 
a free use of chlorate of potass, hyposulphite of soda, sulphate of 
iron, and ginger. Take of 

Powdered chlorate of potass 3 oz 

Powdered hyposulphite of soda 4 oz. 

Powdered sulphate of iron 2 oz. 

Powdered ginger 7 oz. 

Mix. 

Dose, one ounce, morning and evening ; to be mixed each time 
in half a pint of flaxseed tea. 




ipflp 


3 


M 






5??''^, 


ib 


« 


}Jsa!i 


jgujl 


'jlj«5l 


y 


lll^Jl 




Hi 




6Si 








^\&&. 







SECTION II. 

DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 

Croup — Laryngitis — Bronchitis — Inflammation of the Lungs — Hoose or 
Common Catarrh — Epizootic Catarrh — Consumption — Pharyngitis (Sore 
Throat) — Pulmonary Apoplexy — Pleurisy, and Description of the 
Pleura. 

Croup. 

THIS disease is generally supposed to occur among young ani- 
mals, but Claude relates a case of false membranes in a 
nine-year old ox. Young calves are frequently attacked with 
"laryngitis," and very many die from obstruction in the air- 
passages. These, after death, are found to be occupied by semi- 
organized lymph. Such cases are known to veterinary surgeons 
as membraneous croup, and, in the latter stages of the disease, the 
false membranes are found to occupy the intestinal canal, as well 
as the air passages. 

Symptoms. — The animal is observed to be in imminent danger 
of suffocation ; there is some discharge of morbid matter from the 
nostrils, yet it is evident that the respiratory passages are fast 
filling up with the morbid secretion. The only chance of saving 
the animal is to perform the operation of tracheotomy; but this 
operation, in order to be successful, must be performed in the early 
stage of the disease, or when false membranes are confined above 
the point selected for the operation ; for when the obstruction 
exists at or about the lower end of the trachea, in the vicinity of 
the bronchial tubes, the case is hopeless. The only medicine of 
any value, in the early stage of this affection is 

Glycerine 2 oz. 

Tincture of lobelia 2 dr. 

Water 2 oz. 

A second dose may be given at an interval of two hours. If 

(35) 



36 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the patient does not improve, and the danger appears imminent, 
tracheotomy must be performed. 

Laryngitis. 

This disease often commences as an ordinary cold; but soon the 
throat becomes husky, followed by prolonged sonorous respiration!. 
The respiration soon becomes quickened, and, finally, the patient 
may die of suffocation. Laryngitis consists of an inflammatory 
affection of the submucous cellular membrane of the larynx, often 
ending in oedematous laryngitis. This is one of the most danger- 
ous of all diseases, for, after oedema has once set in, the animal is 
liable to die of asphyxia (loss of pulse) at any moment. 

Symptoms.-r-Commencmg, as it often does, as an ordinary cold 
or sore throat, it has some symptoms in common with the latter. 
The animal protrudes the nose, so that the head, instead of being 
pendulous, is thrust forward, and he very rarely turns his head 
sideways. The region of the throat is usually tumefied and ten- 
der, and pressure on the larynx occasions great distress. These 
symptoms, associated with the alarming character of the breath- 
ing and livid appearance of the visible surfaces, will enable any 
one to determine the true nature of the disease. 

Treatment. — The first object is to endeavor to prevent effusion. 
In this view, I recommend that the patient be carefully drenched 
with the following : 

Fluid Extract buchu 1 oz. 

Chlorate of potass 2 dr. 

Water 3 oz. 

Mix. 

At the end of three hours, repeat the dose. In the mean time 
bathe the jaws and throat with a strong infusion of lobelia ; then 
apply a cold-water bandage around the jaws and throat. The 
body and limbs should be well rubbed with a wisp of straw, so 
as to keep up an active circulation on the surface of the body. 
An enema, composed of soap and water, may be thrown into the 
rectum. Should the symptoms become more alarming, the serv- 
ices of a veterinary surgeon will be required, to perform the 
operation of tracheotomy, which consists in taking a circular piece 
of cartilage out of the trachea, and inserting therein a common 
tracheotomy tube. If the disease be confined to the parts above 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 37 

the seat selected as the place of operation, the animal may yet be 
saved. When the disease passes into the chronic stage, we have 
a purulent discharge from the nostrils. This discharge may be 
modified by giving a few doses of the following : 

Tincture of matico 2 oz. 

Syrup of garlic 8 oz. 

Sweet spirits of niter 2 oz. 

Mis. 

Dose, two ounces, morning and evening. The throat should 
be rubbed occasionally with a small quantity of tincture of blood- 
root or hot vinegar. It often happens that chronic laryngitis ends 
in thickening, or altered structure, of parts within and around the 
larynx. Should this be the case, the patient should be put on a 
course of iodine. Twenty grains per day of iodide of potassium 
may be given in a small quantity of water ; and the region of the 
throat should be anointed every night with the following oint- 
ment: 

Powdered iodide of potassium.. 2 dr. 

Simple ointment 2 oz. 

Mix. 

Description of the Larynx. — The larynx is seated at the upper 
part of the windpipe, to which it is joined. It occupies that part 
known as the throat, between the broadest part of the angles of 
the jaw. It is composed of several cartilages, which are under 
the control of the laryngial muscles. These cartilages are so con- 
trived as to be movable on each other, in various directions. 

The first cartilage is named thyroid, or shield-like. It forms 
the most extensive part of the larynx, and protects the other parts 
from external injury. 

The second cartilage is named cricoid, or ring-like cartilage. 
It overlaps the first ring of the trachea, or windpipe, in the form 
of a helmet. 

Thirdly, there are two ewer-shaped cartilages, termed arytenoid. 
They are found on the upper and back part of the trachea. They 
form a canal which leads to the glottis. 

The fourth cartilage is named epiglottis, in consequence of being 
situated upon and over the glottis. It is the door-keeper of the 
larynx, and every particle of food or drop of water which the ani- 
mal swallows must pass over it. If it fail to perform its function 



38 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

for a single moment, when the animal is either drinking or eating, 
death is sure to follow. But the ox is rather more favored in the 
mechanism of the epiglottis than the horse. The epiglottis of the 
horse is just adapted to the caliber of the glottis, he being a non- 
ruminant; but in the case of the ox, the rough, unmasticated 
particles of food have to be returned to the mouth for a second 
mastication. This would peril the life of the animal if he had no 
other protection than that found in the larynx of horses. The 
fact is, the epiglottis of cattle, instead of being confined to the 
caliber of the rim of the glottis, overlaps it, and this securely pro- 
tects the parts from the accidents which may occur in the process 
of remastication. 

The larynx is lined by a membrane very susceptible to irrita- 
tion. It is abundantly supplied with excretory glands and ori- 
fices, for the emission of a secretion peculiar to itself. 

Bronchitis. 

Bronchitis is a disease of the bronchial mucous membrane. In 
its early stage, the term acute has been applied to it ; this having 
subsided, it assumes a chronic type. It is very rare that this is a 
primary affection, for it is generally preceded by cough or catarrh, 
or else is an accompaniment of an abnormal condition of contigu- 
ous tissues. Its existence may be demonstrated very readily by 
applying the ear to the trachea, in the region of the point of the 
breast-bone, the peculiar sound differing from that in any other 
part of the trachea, having what is termed a sibilant, or whistling 
sound. 

Treatment. — The treatment will be about the same as that 
recommended for common catarrh, with the addition of a counter- 
irritant to the sides of the chest. A little mustard and vinegar will 
answer the purpose. A bronchial difficulty, of a very alarming 
character, sometimes prevails as an epizootic, and this must be 
treated the same as epizootic catarrh. 

Description of the Bronchial Tubes. — The bronchial tubes are a 
continuation of the trachea. It having entered the thorax, becomes 
forked or bifurcated. They are constituted of several pieces, mak- 
ing up so many segments of the circle, overlapping each other so 
sis to admit of extension and contraction in the respiratory acts. 
These are connected together and invested by an elastic cellular 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 39 

substance, which imparts to them both strength and elasticity. A 
further subdivision of the bronchial tubes takes place as they pen- 
etrate the substance of the lungs, so that they become very numer- 
ous. As they proceed onward their caliber continually grows less, 
until they end in the extreme ramifications known as air-cells. 
The bronchial tubes are lined by a membrane common to the 
trachea. 

Inflammation of the Lungs. 

Inflammation of the lungs, known, also, as pneumonia, is not 
usually so prevalent among the bovine as it proves to be in the 
equine species, excepting, however, milch cows, located in unven- 
tilated milking establishments. In such locations diseases of the 
lungs are often fearfully prevalent, raging, at times, as an enzootic 
affection, which generally proves fatal when a large number of 
animals are confined in a small space. 

Among horses this disease is often occasioned by laborious work 
and feats of speed, which produce rapid and sometimes distressing 
respiration ; but among cattle, whose powers of speed and endur- 
ance are not often put to the test, we may reasonably infer that 
the exciting causes vary in their general character. 

The stimulating and morbid action of an impure atmosphere 
may produce this disease by first creating irritation on the lining 
membrane of the respiratory passages. It has also been noticed 
that this disease frequently appears among cattle that have been 
driven a long distance, and have also been compelled to go hungry 
and thirsty for many hours. Fortunately for the poor brute, this 
disease is not so painful as bronchitis, pleurisy, and laryngitis ; 
and, after having passed through the acute stage, it assumes a sort 
of mild, subacute, or chronic type, which, apparently, appears less 
dangerous than the acute kind ; yet, after all, is more so, as it is 
apt to terminate in altered structure, hepatization, induration, and 
tubercles. 

Pneumonia, now and then, terminates by metastasis ; that is, by 
translation of the formidable lung difficulty to one equally formi- 
dable, which locates in the feet, known to veterinarians as laminitis 
(fever in the feet). Among cattle, however, this termination is 
rather rare, yet very frequent among horses. When the disease 
does not take this course it often ends in " resolution," which sig- 
nifies a return to health, without leaving any perceivable evidence 



40 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

of altered structure ; so that, after awhile, the animal may become 
sound as ever. 

Pneumonia is divided into several forms or stages, but, as they 
all have reference to its degree or intensity, it seems unnecessary 
to refer to them. It may, however, be proper to inform the reader 
tha* pneumonia may exist either as a state of congestion or of in - 
flammation. Congestion signifies a distended or plethoric state 
of the blood-vessels of the parenchyma of the lungs, and slow 
motion of blood. Congestive pneumonia sometimes sets in as sud- 
denly as that which is termed " inflammatory," and among cattle 
the former is most prevalent. In the congestive stage the symp- 
toms are those of embarrassment, the blood courses through its 
channels sluggishly, and there is not the activity of heart and 
lungs which is perceivable in pneumonia. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms, in the early stage, are such as are 
generally observed at the commencement of any inflammatory 
affection ; namely, coldness of extremities and shivering fits ; loss 
of appetite ; labored respiration, quick pulse, slight cough ; mouth 
hot and clammy. The animal will not lie down, and refuses to 
move; the head is extended, perhaps drooping, and the fore-legs 
stand wide apart. As the disease progresses these symptoms vary, 
and the appearance of the membrane of the mouth, nose, and eyes 
vary also, from the color of bright scarlet to that of a leaden hue. 
In the congestive stage, the pulse is more voluminous, yet less 
active, and the visible surfaces are highly congested, A cough, 
slight or active, as the case may be, is usually noticed ; it is a sort 
of deep-seated, half-suppressed cough, and sometimes is the first 
symptom which attracts the owner's attention to the ailing animal. 

Treatment. — I have little faith in the heroic remedies so highly 
recommended by Youatt and others, and even by myself only a 
few years ago. I now have more faith in Nature and in regi- 
menal means, and find that more oases are cured in this way than 
by the old method. It is very important, at the commencement 
of the treatment, that the patient shall be placed in a clean, com- 
fortable location, where pure air abounds; for, under such circum • 
stances, the condition favorable to the operation of Nature in the 
cure of the malady are secured. Should the animal labor under 
accelerated respiration and full, strong pulse, I should administer 
one ounce of powdered niter in a quart of cold water ; after which, 
four ounces of the liquor acetate of ammonia may be given, every 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 41 

fear hours. This agent, also, should have a quart of cold water 
added to it at every dose. The brisket and sides may be rubbed 
with a portion of the following : Powdered mustard and strong vin- 
egar, enough of each to form a thin paste. When mixed, a small 
quantity of oil of cedar may be added. This application should 
be repeated two or three times in the course of twenty-four hours. 
Nauseants are next administered, in view of relaxing capillary and 
muscular constrictions, and this is desirable, as such conditions 
tend to equalize the circulation of the blood, and prevent an undue 
quantity accumulating in the pulmonary organs. 

In cattle practice, having bad a case of this character under 
treatment, I prefer to administer the nauseating remedies by the 
anus; hence, a couple of quarts of infusion of lobelia may occa- 
sionally be thrown into the rectum. Considerable of the active 
principle of lobelia will be absorbed within this gut, and, under 
the circumstances, it is much better to introduce the medicine 
into the system in this way than by the stomach. The propor- 
tions of the lobelia to the water are — 

Lobelia (herb) 2 oz. 

Boiling water 2 qt. 

When cool, strain, and it is fit for use. 

It may be necessary to give a dose of medicine ; if so, I should 
use the following : 

Glauber salts 12 oz. 

(ringer 1 dr. 

Warm water 1 qt. 

It should be known to all husbandmen that a disease of this 
character, located in such important organs as those of respiration, 
is very prostrating, and operates very unfavorably on the inher- 
ent vitality of parts; hence, so soon as the activity of the mor- 
bid phenomena is somewhat subdued, all active medication should 
cease. 

The affection is likely to continue for some days, and all we 
have to do is to try to keep the patient alive while the disease is 
running its course. Careful nursing, pure air, and light diet are 
the remedies. After the first twenty -four hours, I pay little at- 
tention to the pulse, but more to the patient, for I can conceive 
of but two conditions in this disease. One I call acute, the other 
chronic. The very moment the acute condition subsides, it merges 



42 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

into the chronic, and requires life-sustaining agents. After the first 
twenty-four hours, I generally resort to the following medicine: 

Glycerine 8 oz. 

Powdered bloodroot 4 dr. 

Powdered golden seal 1 oz. 

Water 4 oz. 

Mix. 

Dose, one table-spoonful, to be smeared on the tongue night 
and morning. 

Management of the Patient while under Treatment. — As I have 
already intimated, a full supply of pure air must be insured ; for 
a practitioner would be more likely to save an animal in the open 
air (provided the weather was not too cold or tempestuous) than 
in the un ventilated cow-house. Should the limbs at any time be 
cold, they are to be hand-rubbed and bandaged ; the body being 
in the same condition, must also be clothed. I should also give 
the chilled patient some warm ginger-tea, or any other non-alco- 
holic stimulant or carminative, in view of arousing the action of 
the heart and capillaries, by which means the red arterial and 
life-sustaining blood would be forced to the external surface and 
extremities, imparting to them a genial warmth, and thus insur- 
ing an equilibrium of the circulating fluid. The patient should 
be furnished constantly with a bucket of pure, cold water. When 
morbid thirst prevails, the water must be acidulated with either 
lemon-juice, cream of tartar, or acetic acid. Any symptoms of 
debility or lassitude are to be opposed by a few doses of some veg- 
etable tonic. Tincture of golden seal, or tincture of matico, in 
ounce doses, every twelve hours, are the best remedies that I am 
acquainted with. 

My experience in the treatment of this formidable disease is, 
that in ninety -nine cases out of one hundred, the patient dies of - 
a meddlesome medicinal disease; in fact, he dies secundem artem. 
In view of furnishing a logical argument to support this theory, 
I refer the reader to Youatt, Percivall, and others of the or- 
thodox stamp, (very learned men,) who are apt to place too much 
confidence in art, to the exclusion of Nature. 

It is my opinion, after many years study and practice, that dis- 
eases are not cured by art; but art may so modify the diseased 
condition that the recuperative powers of the system can thereby 
induce salutary changes, without which they can not so readily be 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 43 

effected. Thus art, when understanding^- applied, may be said 
to aid Nature in the cure of disease. 



Hoose, or Common Catarrh. 

Cattle, as well as horses, are subject to a catarrhal affection, 
known among English farmers as "hoose." This consists of a 
deiluxion from the nasal cavity, accompanied with cough, loss of 
appetite, and loss of flesh. In popular language, it is nothing 
more than a common cold, induced by the ordinary causes, such 
as exposure, errors in diet, and management. It generally ap- 
pears during spring, or toward the latter part of autumn, when 
the temperature of the atmosphere undergoes the most sudden 
changes; and it generally selects its subjects; for many animals, 
subjected to the ordinary causes of cold, enjoy immunity from the 
same; hence, I infer that a predisposition to this affection is 
hereditary, and manifests itself at periodical intervals, without 
the intervention of the common exciting causes, although they 
may prove operative in developing a latent disease. 

I conceive that it sometimes has an hereditary origin, from the 
fact that some breeds are more subject to it than others. In some 
cases, however, this hereditariness exists only so far as the animal 
is of a peculiar temperament, so that, when removed from a warm 
to a colder region, it is apt to contract catarrh. This is the case 
with many of the Alderney breed of cows imported into the 
northern region of the United States. Ere they have been here 
long, they have an attack of catarrh, which often runs into the 
chronic stage, and ends in consumption. 

Symptoms. — The first symptom which the farrier will observe, 
is loss of appetite. Succeeding this are febrile symptoms, such 
as quick pulse and respiration, heaving at the flanks, dry muzzle, 
glairy discharge from the nostrils, reddening of the visible sur- 
faces. The limbs are generally colder than usual, and the hair 
loses its glossiness and appears roughened. The animal will occa- 
sionally snort and discharge more or less of glairy mucus, and 
some soreness of throat may be observed. Such are the early and 
most noticeable symptoms of this disease ; and this is the most 
proper period for the animal to receive attention, in order to pre- 
vent the malady running into the chronic form ; for, should it do 
so, ten chances to one if the case is not called " horn-ail," and 



44 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

thus the poor animal has to submit to a routine of barbarisms, 
such as boring horns, letting daylight, pepper, and turpentine into 
the frontal sinuses, much to the annoyance of a sick brute, and 
very significant of the ignorance of the itinerant cattle-slayer. 

Treatment. — The treatment depends somewhat on the condition 
of the patient, as regards the preponderance of fever or debility. 
A high-fed animal, abounding in morbific material, and neces- 
sarily of a febrile diathesis, must have aperients. Eight ounces 
of Glauber salts, dissolved in warm water, and sweetened with 
molasses, may, without the least danger, be administered, folloAved 
by a liberal supply of warm, sloppy, bran-mashes ; and, should 
the pulse be voluminous and excessively active, thirty grains of 
powdered niter may be added to the above, which, in all proba- 
bility, will reduce the action of the heart. In the mean time, we 
keep the patient quiet. Withhold all fat and muscle-making food, 
and allow the patient to breathe a pure and cool atmosphere ; for 
a cool atmosphere is, perhaps, a better sedative than niter, and 
certainly more requisite; and, after the medicine shall have had 
time to traverse a portion of the intestinal surface, say a lapse of 
five or six hours, an enema of Glauber salts may be given, in the 
proportion of half a pound to half a gallon of water. 

In the early stage, and having a plethoric subject under treat- 
ment, it may, by some persons, be considered necessary to resort 
to the fleam ; and some highly-educated physicians decide this to 
be the best course. There may be cases, occurring in pampered 
and stable-fed animals, which demand a prompt use of the above 
instrument ; but the author has never seen a case of catarrh which, 
in his judgment, demanded the abstraction of blood. Bleed by 
the bowels, if there be need of depletion. This is my doctrine. 
Catarrh, whether it be simple or epidemic, in one feature re- 
sembles influenza occurring among horses. It is a prostrating 
disease, inducing debility. However, I have no desire to force my 
opinions on any man. Try sanitive medicines; if they have not 
the desired effect, the judicious practitioner has no other remedy. 

We have now only to keep the patient alive while the disease 
is running its course, and this is accomplished by means of " good 
nursing." There are a great many remedies that might be recom- 
mended, in view of hastening convalescence, but " good nursing " 
supplants the whole. A sore throat may accompany the malady, 
and, if so, I recommend the following : 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 45 

Olive oil 6 oz. 

Oil of cedar 1 oz. 

Spirit of ammonia 1 oz. 

Tincture of capsicum 1 oz. 

Mix. 

Apply a portion to the throat twice daily. 

In order to promote a discharge from the nasal outlets, we. 
report to vapor, which may be generated by dropping water or 
vinegar on a hot brick ; and to insure the full effect of the same, 
I envelop the head with a cloth or blanket, so as to direct the 
current of vapor through the nasal passages. In view of pro- 
moting a nasal discharge, a small quantity of bayberry bark (pul- 
verized) may occasionally be blown up the nostrils, from a quill 
or a hollow tube of paper. The after-treatment will depend upon 
the observable symptoms. While a febrile diathesis continues, 
we depend on sedatives and aperients. In the chronic stage, tonics 
and alteratives are indicated, and must be resorted to, in view of 
warding off a chronic cough and its consequences. 



Epizootic Catareh. 

Epizootic catarrh is infectious, yet animals having once had an 
attack of the same may enjoy immunity from it thereafter. It 
usually appears and spreads over various parts of the country 
when great variations in the weather are noticed. It generally 
appears in the spring, and disappears when the weather becomes 
warmer and more uniform. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms of epizootic catarrh, in the early 
stage, do not differ materially from those alluded to in the pre- 
ceding article (common catarrh). In a very short time, however, 
the animal begins to grow very weak, and becomes debilitated. 
Tumors form in various parts of the body, emitting, when pressed, 
a crackling sound ; the glands in the region of the throat are en- 
larged; the neck, stiff; the odor from the breath and feces is 
very offensive; the animal loses flesh very fast, and, unless re- 
lieved, will surely die. 

Causes. — The direct causes of this, like that of any other epi- 
zootic and endemic affection, are involved in obscurity. Specu- 
lation is rife as regards the causes of cholera and the potato rot, 
which probably have analogous origins, but it is very difficult, if 



46 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

not impossible, at the present time, to define the precise character 
of the morbid germ which, "like a little leaven," leavens the 
whole body. 

Treatment. — The principal objects in the treatment of this mal- 
ady are to sustain the vital powers, and thus guard against the 
subsequent prostration and decomposition which, under the ortho- 
dox treatment, is sure to occur. The proper mode of treatment 
is to drench the animal with the following : 

Tincture of matico 1 oz. 

Hyposulphite of soda 6 dr. 

Powdered golden seal 2 dr. 

Warm water 1 pint. 

Having administered the above medicine, anoint the throat and 
all tumefied parts with a portion of the following counter-irritant: 

Oil of cedar 1 oz. 

Oil of sassafras -| oz. 

Cod-liver oil 6 oz. 

Mix. 

Apply by means of a small piece of sponge. Should the breath 
become fetid, and the odor from the evacuations almost intoler- 
able, as is often the case, very powerful antiseptics will be needed, 
to arrest the morbid fermentation. The most efficient and valu- 
able article for this purpose is pyroligneous acid. A couple of 
ounces of the same may be given in a quart of oatmeal gruel, 
every four hours, until the odor is exterminated. The diet should 
consist of well-salted, scalded shorts, sliced carrots, and parsnips. 
In the absence of rumination, give a drachm of powdered golden 
seal and half a drachm of carbonate of soda, twice in twenty- 
four hours. 

Consumption. 

This disease, as it appears among cattle, is supposed to be the 
sequel of other diseases of the respiratory apparatus, and some 
writers contend that phthisis is the termination of chronic disease 
of the lungs, characterized by the formation of tubercles within 
the substance of the lungs. 

Symptoms. — The most notable symptoms are emaciation, debil- 
ity, cough, fever, and purulent expectoration. Expectoration, 
however, is a feature of this disease, more marked in the human 
subject than among horses and cattle ; yet, in the last stages, we 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 47 

occasionally observe nasal discharges of a purulent character. In 
diagnosing this disease, it is necessary to make ourselves acquainted 
with the history of the case, and the physical conformation of the 
animal; for, if the patient be the subject of neglected catarrh, 
bronchitis, or any other pulmonic or pleuritic difficulty, we have 
the data for an intelligent diagnosis ; provided the physical con- 
formation corresponds to that which physiologists regard as sus- 
ceptible of phthisis ; namely, a lean, lank organization, associated 
with an active, nervous temperament. 

Referring to Percivall for evidence on the subject now under 
consideration, I find that he considers a colt having long legs, 
overgrowth, narrow chest, flat sides, pot belly, and an appearance 
of weakness and unthrivingness, a capital subject for phthisis. A 
cough occurring in such an animal, of a feeble, painful, hoarse, 
rattling, or gurgling character, shows conclusively that disorgan- 
ization of the lungs has commenced. The cough will also be ac- 
companied by a sound which gives us an idea that it is deep- 
seated. 

Causes. — Aside from the well-known direct hereditary causes 
which are known to exist in breed, there are others operating 
insidiously to produce disease and altered structure in the lungs. 
The climate may be prejudicial. I have known this disease to 
make its appearance among cows unsuited to our New England 
climate — the Alderneys, for example. On the other hand, if cows 
be removed from a warm, comfortable location, or barn, to a region 
involving a material difference in temperature, a derangement of 
the respiratory system is very apt to occur. It may appear at 
first under the guise of a simple bronchial affection, which insidi- 
ously steals on until the substance of the lungs is affected. Ani- 
mals shut up in close and hot stables, where they can not obtain 
sufficient oxygen to vitalize or decarbonize the blood, are apt, 
after a short time, to die of tuberculated lungs; or, perhaps, a 
worse form of disease, known as infectious pleuro-pneumonia, 
soon terminates their wretched existence. Impure air is at all 
times operative in exciting pulmonary affections. The least de- 
viation from purity may occasion very serious difficulties ; there- 
fore, it should be the business of the farmer to see that his cattle 
have constantly an abundant supply of pure, uncontaminated air — 
the breath of life. 

Treatment. — In the first place, the patient must be removed to a 



48 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERT. 

comfortably warm and well-ventilated barn. Should the weather 
be chilly, a blanket may be thrown over the body ; and it will be 
expedient, also, to clothe the limbs, up to the knees and hocks, 
with strips of flannel. By this means we promote cutaneous and 
subcutaneous circulation, and every drop of blood invited and 
maintained at the surface in the extreme vessels tends to prevent 
internal congestions. Without proper attention to these matters, 
we might as foolishly attempt to raise a dead cow to life. Next, 
the patient, whose appetite is almost sure to be impaired, should 
be feci on that kind of food which contains more carbon and nitro- 
gen than common hay ; namely, oatmeal. In case of a complete 
suspension of rumination (loss of cud), a due proportion per diem 
of oatmeal gruel, sweetened with some saccharine matter, may be 
administered from a bottle. Every morning the patient should 
have four ounces of the best cod-liver oil. This can be continued 
until its action is made manifest by purging. Every evening, 
give the patient a dose of the fol 1 owing: 

Powdered phosphate of lime 3 oz. 

Powdered bloodroot 1 oz. 

Powdered bayberry bark 4 dr. 

Powdered sassafras ■. . . . . 2 oz. 

Divide the mixture into sixteen parts. The above is, according 
to my experience, the most rational method of treating this disease ; 
but the farmer must not feel disappointed if he fails in arresting 
it, for it frequently baffles the most consummate skill. 

Pharyngitis (Sore Throat). 

The term pharyngitis signifies inflammation of the membrane 
lining in the pharyngial inlet, or funnel-like entrance into the 
oesophagus, or gullet. 

Symptom. — The diagnostic symptom of this affection is as fol- 
lows : The subject is unable to swallow, and thus the food taken 
into the mouth is apt to be returned by the nostrils. This hap- 
pens occasionally, although the passage of the nasal inlet is much 
smaller than it is in the horse. On exploring the inferior region 
of the throat, from ear to ear, considerable swelling or tumefaction 
is encountered, yet the pharyngial muscles appear to be constricted. 
It generally appears among cattle as a simple local affection, yet 
it often accompanies other diseases of the respiratory character, 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 49 

and whenever it does appear as a local malady, it is apt to merge 
into something else. It is a very distressing affection, and the 
animal gets but little relief until suppuration commences ; then a 
free discharge takes place. 

Treatment. — Let the animal's throat be rubbed twice daily with 

Oil of cedar 1 oz. 

Cod-liver oil 6 oz. 

Spirits of ammonia 2 dr. 

Mix. 

Keep a sloppy bran-mash before the patient, or some flaxseed 
tea, into which stir a small quantity of powdered niter of liquorice. 
This will relieve the cough, if any be present, and tend to lessen ir- 
ritation of the lining membrane of the pharynx. When the patient 
begins to expectorate, or has the least discharge from the nose, give 

Balsam of tolu 2 oz. 

Sweet spirits of niter 3 oz. 

Mucilage of gum arabic 8 oz 

Mix. 

Dose, one wine-glassful, twice daily. 

Description of the pharynx. — The pharynx is the commencement 
of the tube known as the oesophagus, or " gullet." It is a funnel- 
shaped cavity, lodged between the mouth, gullet, and windpipe. 
The pharynx is composed of muscular and membraneous tissues. 
The most important muscles which enter into the composition of 
the pharynx are the constrictors. They give the membrane form- 
ing the funnel-shaped sac a complete covering, and their function 
is to force the food beyond the action of the tongue, into the oeso- 
phagus. The pharynx is divided from the mouth by the soft 
palate and the epiglottis ; therefore, except in the act of swallow- 
ing or coughing, there is no direct communication. The interior 
of the pharynx is lined by a membrane having within its structure 
a vast number of minute glands, with excretory ducts, from which* 
a viscid or lubricating fluid issues. This lubricates the pellets of 
food, so that, by this process, their passage into the oesophagus is 
insured without the casuality of friction. 

Pulmonary Apoplexy. 

This disease occasionally appears among cattle in the Western 
States. It attacks animals irrespective of age, sex, or condition.. 
4 



50 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

It is generally sudden in its attacks, and death frequently ensuw 
in the course of a few hours. 

Symptoms. — The pulse and respirations are very much acceler- 
ated, the former sometimes running as high as 110 ; an augmented 
salivary secretion is observed to run from the mouth; the tongue 
i«s much swollen; so, also, are the eyelids, and tears run down 
each side of the face ; various parts of the body are swollen and 
congested ; the stomach is distended with gas, and the evacuations 
are profuse and watery. Post mortem examinations reveal a highly- 
congested state of the lungs ; in fact, they are engorged with blood, 
and the muscles in the region of the tumefied parts are in a similar 
engorged condition. 

Treatment. — ~No time should be lost in administering the follow- 
ing drench, for it will preserve the tissues against decomposition, 
and, perhaps, save the animal : 

Pyroligneous acid. 12 dr. 

Water 1 pint. 

Tincture of matico 1 oz. 

Repeat the dose after a lapse of six hours, and rub the tume- 
faction occasionally with 

Oil of cedar * . . 1 oz. 

Tincture of capsicum 2 oz. 

Tincture of bayberry bark 4 oz. 

Mix. 

It appears that in this disease there is a morbid impulse directed 
to various parts, which results in local accumulations, rendering 
the parts turgid. Then the blood is thrown out of the capillary 
vessels, and sometimes they suffer a rupture, which accounts for 
the engorgement and extravasation. 

As there is generally some effusion present in this malady, some 
good may be accomplished in acting slightly on the kidneys; yet, 
as the pulse and respirations are both accelerated, the ordinary 
diuretic (sweet spirits of niter) is not admissible, for the simple 
reason that it is too stimulating ; therefore I recommend the use 
of common niter — half an ounce, every four hours, to be given in 
a little water. The tumefied tongue should be rubbed often with 
table salt. The animal does not require any kind of food until 
amendment takes place. The 'best drink for the patient is cold 
water, to which a little table salt may be added. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 51 



Pleurisy and Description of the Pleura. 

The delicate, transparent membrane which lines the cavity of 
the thorax, or chest, is duplicated as an external tunic on the 
lungs, and forms a partition called mediastinum, which divides the 
cavity of the chest into two equal parts, termed right and left 
cavities of the thorax. It is, therefore, a reflected membrane. 
That portion which gives a lining to the chest is termed pleura 
costalis, and that which invests the lungs is called pleura pulmo- 
nale, although, at all points, they are precisely similar in structure 
and function. The pleura is called a serous membrane. It is 
dense, shining, and transparent ; its texture is penetrated by blood- 
vessels, nerves, absorbents, and exhalents. The minute ramifica- 
tions of the arteries give origin to a vast number of exhalents ; 
and these furnish a serous or watery vapor, which is distributed 
over every part of the pleura, and thus all friction and irritation 
is prevented. In the disease known as hydrothorax (dropsy of 
the chest), the effused fluid found in the cavity of the thorax comes 
from the exhalents. The absorbents play a very different part. 
Their function is to absorb or drink up any superabundant serum 
or blood that may be found in the chest. The functions of these 
vessels, however, are limited ; for when, in consequence of disease, 
augmented serous secretion takes place, the absorbents are unequal 
to the task imposed on them, consequently the subject of hydro- 
thorax often dies with his chest loaded with water. 

Symptoms. — This disease is generally ushered in like other febrile 
affections, by fever and trembling of the fore extremities. The 
cough accompanying pleurisy is painful, and the animal tries to 
suppress it as much as possible. The breathing is not laborious, 
but short, the intercostal muscles not admitting of their usual exten- 
sion and contraction without intense pain. The diaphragm has to 
perform the respiratory movement, without the aid of the former 
muscles. . If slight pressure be made on the intercostal spaces, be- 
tween the ribs, the animal will evince symptoms of intense pain. 
If a person attempts to back the patient, the latter will moan or 
grunt, and be very unwilling to move. The patient stands with 
his fore-legs wide apart, and seldom, if ever, lies down. On ap- 
plying the ear to the sides of the chest, a slight sound, resembling 
that of friction, is discernible. This is probably occasioned by the 
presence of effused lymph on the pleural surfaces. The pulse is 



52 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

generally quick, tense, and small. These are the principal symp- 
toms of pleurisy in its early stage. They will vary as the disease 
progresses, or become complicated. The minor symptoms, such 
as loss of cud, etc., are not worth noticing, as they are present in 
various other forms of disease. 

Treatment. — Give two drachms of fluid extract of gelseminum 
every four hours. This acts as a powerful sedative, and will 
soon afford much relief. In the mean time, let a preparation of 
mustard and vinegar be applied to both sides of the chest and 
breast. The patient should now have one ounce of powdered 
chlorate of potass, dissolved in flaxseed tea or thin gruel. This 
may be given morning and evening. Should the animal refuse to 
drink it, give it as a drench, by adding to it one pint of water. In 
view of mitigating the cough which may be present, and of reliev- 
ing pain, the patient may be made to inhale an ounce or so of sul- 
phuric ether from a sponge, the latter being merely covered with 
a towel, except that part which comes in contact with the nostrils. 
It would not be proper to completely etherize the animal, but 
merely to stupefy him for a time. This will have an antispasmodic 
effect, and may be repeated, or not, at intervals of four hours, ac- 
cording to the nature of the effects produced. 

It will be proper to administer an occasional enema, and this 
should be of an antispasmodic character ; therefore an infusion of 
lobelia is recommended. The very moment the animal appears 
to be relieved of urgent symptoms, the treatment should not pro- 
ceed on the same principles. The intention should be to guard 
against debility and hydrothorax, two mortal enemies to the bovine 
species. Golden seal and buchu are the best remedies to prevent 
the one and guard against the consequences of the latter. They 
may be given in the following proportions : 

Powdered golden seal 2 dr. 

Tincture of buchu 4 fluid dr. 

Hyposulphite of soda 3 dr. 

Water 1 pint. 

This quantity is sufficient for a period of twenty-four hours. 
The animal appearing much better will be the signal to discon- 
tinue all medical treatment. 



SECTION III. 

DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 

Description of the Oesophagus — Foreign Bodies in the Gullet — GSsophagot- 
omy — Laceration of the Oesophagus — Aphthae — Description of Stomach — 
Rumination — Bloat — Distension of the Rumen with Food — Gastrointesti- 
nal Inflammation— Dentition of Cattle— Synopsis of Dentition — Suspended 
Rumination, or Loss of Cud — Inflammation of the Bowels — Invagination 
of Intestine — Diarrhea — Chronic Diarrhea— Gut Tie — Internal Rupture 
of Oxen — Flatulent Colic — Spasm of the Bowels — Constipation of Bowels. 

Description of the (Esophagus. 

THE oesophagus, or gullet, extends from the mouth to the 
stomach, and passes down the left side of the neck, outside 
of the windpipe, between the two first ribs, and then runs back- 
ward, along the upper part of the thorax, until it reaches the 
diaphragm. Having passed through the latter, it enters into the 
mechanism of the digestive canal. It is composed of three coats. 
The outer one is made up of cellular substance, and admits of 
much distension. The middle one is muscular, and composed of 
two layers, arranged spirally, and running in opposite directions ; 
that is to say, the fibers wind round the gullet, in contrary direc- 
tions. This allows or aids the food which has been masticated to 
pass down the tube into the first compartment of the stomach, 
viz., the paunch, and, by a reverse action of the other set of spiral 
muscular fibers, the pellet (cud) ascends into the mouth for re- 
mastication. The inner or third coat is similar in structure to 
the pharyngeal membrane, or that which lines the pharynx, yet 
it is so arranged as to admit of considerable distension. 

Foreign Bodies in the Gullet. 

When an animal attempts to swallow a substance too large for 
t\j ealiber of the oesophagus, it becomes impacted in the same, and 

(53) 



54 DA DDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGER1 

the creature is said to be choked. On examining the left side 
of the neck, the foreign body can be both seen and felt. "When 
an accident of this character occurs, half a pint of olive oil should 
immediately be administered. This will lubricate the internal 
surface of the oesophagus, and aid us when attempting to force the 
impacted material toward the stomach. Before any attempts are 
made to introduce the probang, some efforts should be made to 
manipulate the obstruction, and thus force it dowmvard. If it 
can be felt, yet can not be moved by external manipulation, there 
is very little chance for the animal ; yet we are not without re- 
source. The probang is our remedy. This is to be introduced 
through the mouth-piece into the (esophagus. Some slight degree 
of force may be used to push the obstruction downward. If that 
fail, no time should be lost in futile efforts, and an operation must 
be performed termed oesophagotomy. 

(ESOPH A GOTOM Y. 

This operation is performed as follows : — Place the animal in 
the trevis, or cast, and etherize him. Then make an incision over 
the region of the obstruction, through the skin and subcellular 
tissues. The cesophagus will then be seen. The only vessels in 
this location that are of any consequence are the jugular vein and 
common carotid artery ; but there is no danger of wounding them 
when the cesophagus is distended. The obstruction having been 
found, an incision is to be made through the coats of the gullet 
sufficiently large to admit of the extraction of the incarcerated 
body. So soon as this desirable object is effected, the edges of the 
gullet may be closed by sutures or stitches, one end of which 
should be cut oif close to the knot, and the other left long enough 
to hang out of the external wound. The integuments are then to 
be brought together by another set of stitches, taking care to leave 
a small orifice at the lower part of the neck, for the escape of any 
morbid matter. The wound, with the exception of this orifice, 
should be well coated with collodion or liquid cuticle. For a few 
days after the operation, the patient should be kept on a light, 
sloppy diet, sufficiently seasoned with common salt to prevent fer- 
mentation. In the course of a fortnight the wound will be quite 
healed. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 



55 



Laceration of the (Esophagus. 

This accident very frequently occurs from the objectionable 
practice of attempting to force a foreign body, such as an apple, 
potato, or turnip, that the animal has greedily attempted to swal- 
low, down the cesophagus into a more dilated part of the digestive 
apparatus, by means of such rude instruments as a whip-stock or 
common stick, in lieu of a proper instrument, known as a probang. 
The operator sometimes succeeds in removing the obstruction, but 
soon a swelling is observed in the 
region of the neck. The animal 
evinces signs of pain, and symptoms 
of suffocation ensue. In such cases 
it is evident that the cesophagus is 
ruptured. The following, from the 
author's case-book, is introduced in 
view of showing the folly of forci- 
bly removing such obstructions : 

October 10, 1855. — Saw a cow, 
at Feltonville, the property of Mr. 
Welch and others. The animal 
had calved about ten days previous, 
and done well. Two days after 
parturition she was purchased by 
another man for the above party, 
and driven to her new home. On 
the way thither she picked up an 
apple and got choked. The apple 
was discovered in the upper half 
of the cesophagus. The attendant 
tried to manipulate it either one 
way or the other, but, failing in 
this, he procured a whip-stock, and 
forced the foreign body toward the 
rumen. This induced convulsions, 

and the subject threw herself violently down, with the whip-stock 
in her throat. This feat she repeated several times, to the immi- 
nent danger of limb and life. She shortly, however, recovered, 
and appeared to do well, and the next day, I believe, was received 
by the above firm. After a brief space, she appeared to be " ail- 




SECTIOX OF A COW S STOMACH. 

Explanation.— 1, A portion of the oesopha- 
gus, or gullpt ; 2, The terminating portion 
of the gullet ; 3 3, Lining membrane of the 
first compartment of the stomach; 4 4, 
Portions of the lining membrane of the 
second compartment of the stomach, dis- 
sected and raised, so as to show the mus- 
eular mechanism beneath it ; 5 !>, The lips 
of the tlemi-eanal, which are the bounda- 
ries of the groove. At the lower part is 
the entrance into the third compartment 
of the stomach, termed "many-plies." 



56 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

ing," and the owners, thinking the apple was the cause of the 
same, gave her a full dose of oil. Soon afterward inverted peri- 
staltic action took place, and, whenever she attempted to swallow 
fluids or solids, vomiting or regurgitation took place. This was 
her condition at the same time I saw her — ten days after the first 
attack. I prescribed alkalies and counter-irritation. Next day 
she appeared better ; that is, the vomiting had ceased. She was 
then drenched with Glauber salts and spearmint, and during the 
next day received several alkaline injections, and such other treat- 
ment as the urgency of the case seemed to require. Notwithstand- 
ing this, she died on the third day from my first visit. The owner, 
in accordance with my request, notified me of the death, and I made 
an autopsy. The heart, lungs, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, 
stomach, and bowels all appeared in a healthy state. They pre- 
sen ted, however, evidences of debility, in the condensation and 
pale aspect of their tissues. The omentum-caul was exceedingly 
dense, scarcely thicker than a piece of writing paper. Tracing 
the oesophagus internally from the mouth to its termination, or 
base, there were no symptoms of laceration or inflammation ; but 
in the dilated portion of the same, which is contiguous, and re- 
ceives food after primary mastication, I found a mass of juvenile 
corn-stalks, about the size of a man's fist, and twice the length of 
the same — seven inches. This part being considered as the ter- 
mination of the oesophagus, and commencing link of the stomach, 
was distended beyond its ordinary capacity, and in a high state of 
gangrene (mortification), and particles of corn-stalk were protrud- 
ing through its disorganized and lacerated tissues. This accounts 
for the death ; but the reader will probably want to know some- 
thing about the cause, and may, possibly, say that the whip-stock 
was the exciting one. This would appear, on first thought, as a 
rational conclusion, because many valuable animals, both in this 
and the mother country (as records show) have been destroyed by 
lacerating the cesophagus with the above or some such instrument ; 
and we might reasonably assign the cause of death to the same, 
and thus terminate this article. But my readers, I opine, desire 
the truth, and nothing but the truth. I am satisfied that the 
whip-stock, however injurious it "may have been in other casea 
(and it is in most cases an objectionable remedy), was inoperative 
in this ; that is, so far as the vitality of the animal was concerned. 
Now for the proof. The seat of the disease proved to he, by care- 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 57 

fill measurement, forty-three inches from the tip of the lips. The 
whip-stock was three feet six inches in length, and, according to 
the testimony of the operator and others, six or eight inches of the 
same never entered the mouth. Computing the medium at seven 
inches, the reader will perceive that the diseased location was just 
seven inches beyond the reach of the instrument. 

How, then, are we to account for the death of the animal ? I 
shall try to satisfy the reader on this point. The animal, at the 
time of purchase, had not recovered from the pain, labor, and ex- 
citement of parturition. She was an invalid ; in the same condi- 
tion, yet less well provided for than her lordly mistress, who has 
the advantages of science, . skill, and sympathy to alleviate her 
woes and mitigate her pains. The poor brute was compelled to 
perform a journey when she ought to have been kept at rest, and 
kindly cared for. The common sympathies of our race ought to 
have been extended to her. She ought to have been dosed with 
groaning cordial, instead of corn-stalks ; and, instead of perform- 
ing a journey through apple orchards, she ought to have been kept 
at home until health and strength reappeared. 

Changes in food, location, and barn management, are, at times, 
and under certain circumstances, operative in inducing disease, 
especially when the subject be in a weak or delicate condition. 
Corn-stalks, therefore, being very indigestible, tend to overtax and 
irritate the stomach, and the oil, probably, induced nausea. In 
efforts at vomiting, the rough particles of food found a lodgment 
at the point indicated, where they accumulated, produced irrita- 
tion, inflammation, and, finally, mortification. The direct cause 
of death, therefore, was obstruction within the gullet ; the morbid 
appearances were the consequence of the same. 

The best instrument I know of for the accident of choking, or 
obstruction within the gullet, is a flexible probang ; but, as that 
instrument is not always to be obtained, every farmer should be 
provided with the next best instrument, which consists of a piece 
of smooth, flexible rattan, about five feet in length, armed at one 
end with an oblong ivory ball, which must be securely fastened. 
If much force be used, laceration of the oesophagus is apt to occur ; 
therefore, if the foreign body will not yield to gentle pressure, I 
should pour down a little olive oil, wait awhile, and then try the 
probang again. If, however, the foreign body can be detected, 
and the probang fails to remove it, we should immediately perform 



58 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the operation of cesophagotomy, which consists of making an open- 
ing into the gullet large enough to remove the former, and then 
bringing the divided edges together again by means of sutures 
(stitches). 

Cases like the above (when the medical man is not called on 
until after the lapse of several days from the time of the accident) 
do not admit of the introduction of a probang. 

The following case, which occurred in the practice of W. San- 
ders, student Royal Veterinary College, goes to show that an ani- 
mal should never be consigned to death until the skill of a qualified 
person proves unavailing : " In the month of March, a young 
Alderney cow became choked with a Swede turnip, which was found 
to be impacted about the termination of the third of the cervical 
portion of the oesophagus. The owner immediately sent for a 
person whom he had been in the habit of employing, but who, 
not having a proper probang, substituted a common ash stick. 
After some difficulty, the obstruction in this way was removed. 
In the course of a fortnight the neck was found much swollen, and 
the animal not only evinced a great deal of pain, but sometimes, 
as I was informed, appeared as though threatened with suffocation. 
It was supposed that the oesophagus must be ruptured, in conse- 
quence of, as it appeared, a considerable portion of food having 
protruded between the muscles of the neck, just anterior to the 
sternum. A small orifice was made through the skin, and a por- 
tion of the food (for food it proved to be) removed. The cow 
continued to get worse for several days, and putrefaction had ap- 
parently commenced. The attendant now advised the owner to 
have the cow slaughtered; but, as her condition precluded the 
prospect of selling her advantageously, it was deemed expedient 
to risk the chances of recovery, especially as she was young and in 
calf. Under these circumstances, my brother, who resides in that 
locality, was consulted. On his arrival he gave but little hopes 
of recovery, seeing she was to so great a degree debilitated. A 
stimulant was administered, and an incision, about seven inches 
in length, was made in the most depending part of the swelling, 
through which more than a quarter of a peck of food was removed 
from between the muscles. The wound being now held open, and 
a candle placed in front, the rupture of the oesophagus became 
quite apparent. It proved full three inches in length. The 
wound was cleaned. A common side-saddle was placed upon her 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 59 

back, and fastened on with a girth in the usual manner ; a small- 
sized piece of ash-wood was shaved so as to render it pliable at 
one end. The large end was then tied to the crupper-loop of the 
saddle, and passed then between the pummels, which kept it in 
its place, and elevated it half way along the neck. The oesopha- 
gus at this part being rather deep-seated within the loose fleshy- 
part of the dewlap, it was not convenient to pass sutures through 
the edges of the laceration. A pledget of tow, dipped in some 
digestive, was put into the wound, and pressed against the ruptured 
part. A pad of flannel was then placed over the outside, and a 
broad bandage, with some thin but flat pieces of wood sewn to it, 
to prevent its becoming too narrow. This was carried round and 
over the stick above the neck, which, being pliable, acted as a 
spring, that kept a moderate but equal pressure as she moved her 
head up and down. She was mainly supported upon gruel made 
of barley and bean and wheat flour; but in addition, occasion- 
ally, was allowed a little green food. Tonics and stimulants 
were administered. Any food that accumulated in the wound was 
removed, and it was regularly dressed twice a day. Three weeks 
after she calved a live calf; but, from the weakness before partu- 
rition, she became so reduced as to require assistance to get up for 
a short time. I went home from college on the 6th of May. On 
the 8th I saw her myself. There was then a small circular open- 
ing, leading into the oesophagus, sufficiently large to admit the 
finger, which was prevented healing by the frequent escape of 
food. The edges of the wound were thickened, and apparently 
healed over. They were occasionally scarified, with the view of 
promoting cicatrization; for it was my opinion that, should the 
wound heal, it would leave a stricture in that part of the tube, and 
cansequently render the animal susceptible of becoming again 
choked. The food continued to pass, more or less, through the 
opening until the beginning of June, when the wound became 
entirely closed. Since then she has become again in calf, and 
from that has continued to go on well ; nor has she ever, that I 
am aware, again shown any symptoms of choking, although she 
has taken her chance as to the nature of her food. She is still in 
the same person's possession ; cousequently I know, from the in- 
formation I have received, that she continues, up to the present 
time, apparently as well as ever she was; and it is now eight 
months since the wound healed over." 



60 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



Aphtha. 

This disease is commonly known as "thrush, or sore mouth. 
It appears as a vesicular eruption on the tongue, gums, and on the 
buccal and palatine membrane. When the disease is mild, and 
confined to the above parts, it is easily cured by daily applications 
of a portion of the following : 

Powdered golden seal 2 oz. 

Tincture of niatico 1 oz. 

Honey 4 oz. 

Mix. 

Apply by means of a swab or sponge. 

When the disease is violent and of long standing, it is apt to 
extend through the whole course of the alimentary canal, from the 
mouth to the anus. If this be the case, the animal will purge, as 
if a powerful cathartic had been administered, and will be other- 
wise unwell. The method of cure, in this event, is to prescribe 
tonics and astringents. The remedies are tincture of matico, 
golden seal, and sulphur, in the following proportions: 

Tincture of matico 4 dr. 

Powdered golden seal 2 dr. 

Sulphur 2 dr. 

Water 1 pint. 

Mix. 

The patient's diet should consist of oatmeal gruel, slightly 
alkalized with hyposulphite of soda. 

The following article upon epizootic aphtha? is from the "Vet- 
erinarian :" 

" Epizootic aphthae, commonly known as foot and mouth com- 
plaint, is a febrile, very contagious, and panzootic affection ; that 
is, readily communicable from one species to another — met with in 
the horse, goat, pig, fowl, hare, etc., but most commonly in the 
ox and sheep, in which two last-mentioned animals it consists of 
vesicles breaking out on the mouth, gums, lips, teats, and around 
the coronary surface of the foot, between the skin and the hoof. 
It is an epizootic affection, spreading over large tracts of country, 
interfering very seriously with the capability of the ox to put on 
fat ' while preparing for the butcher,' and in the milch cow, ren- 
dering the supply of milk small, if not altogether suspending it. 
In this disease the ox exhibits the following symptoms : Suspen- 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 61 

sion of rumination ; constipation ; sometimes, though rarely, diar- 
rhea ; great flow of saliva from the mouth, and severe lameness. 
Milk taken from cows affected with this disease should never 
be drank, as it will most readily produce aphthae in man. To 
prove this fact, Professor Hertwig, together with two medical 
men, Mann and Vilion, drank the warm milk of an aphthous 
cow, and the result was that each became the subjects of severe 
inflammation of the throat, associated with the vesicular eruptions 
mentioned above as indicative of this malady. Professor Simonds 
also gave the warm milk of an aphthous cow to pigs, with a simi- 
lar result." 

Description of the Stomach. 

The stomach of a ruminating animal presents a very complex 
arrangement, of which the purpose seems to be to favor the me- 
chanical reduction of the food, and its impregnation by the salivial 
and gastric fluids, before it is subjected to the action of the biliary 
and pancreatic juices. 

The stomach of an ox is divided into four parts or cavities, viz.: 
rumen, or paunch ; reticulum, manyplus, abomasum. 

The rumen, like the oesophagus, is composed of three coats. The 
internal one is studded with numerous papillae, which incline in 
the direction that the food takes. They are erectile, and by inclin- 
ing in different directions, they can, to a certain extent, favor or 
oppose the passage of food. 

The openings into the rumen are two — one at the base of the 
oesophagus, through which the food and fluids pass ; the other is 
below this. It is much larger, and communicates with the second 
stomach. The paunch is not so highly organized as some other 
parts of the stomach. This compartment is capable of extraordi- 
nary distension, and, in some cases of tympanites, becomes so dis- 
tended as to produce suffocation by pressure on the diaphragm and 
Jungs. 

The reticulum, or second stomach, sometimes called the honey- 
comb, presents a very irregular surface, consisting of open cells, 
varying in size and depth, looking very much like a piece of 
honeycomb on a large scale. There are two openings into this 
stomach — one through the floor of the gullet, the other into the 
paunch. The pellet of food to be returned for remastication is 
thrown into the cesophagean canal by the reticulum. 



62 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

The manyplus, sometimes called manyplies or manyfolds, is* 
made up internally of laminae, or leaves, which hang down from 
every part of it. By this arrangement an immense digestive sur- 
face is crowded into a small space. The cuticular covering of 
these leaves or laminae is very singular. It is thickly studded with 
eminences, varying in size and form. In some places they resemble 
little hooks, others look like papillae; some are soft, others ire 
hard and durable, like horn. The function of the laminae and 
papillae is to comminute and properly prepare the food ere it 
enters the fourth compartment. 

The abomasum is the true digestive stomach. Its function is to 
secrete the gastric juice; at least the gastric juice is secreted by 
small glandular bodies, having ducts which terminate on the 
villous membrane, which lines the abomasum. The lower orifice 
of this part of the stomach is termed pylorus. It is guarded by a 
projecting body, which answers the purpose of a sphincter muscle, 
to guard against regurgitation from the duodenum. 

Rumination, or Remastication and Ingestion of Food. 

The ox, a member of the group ruminantia, has four compart- 
ments in the stomach, yet two of them are nothing more than 
dilatations of the oesophagus. 

The food having been gathered by the lips, tongue, and teeth 
within the mouth, it undergoes a grinding process between the 
molars, and receives the admixture of salivial fluids secreted by 
the submaxillary, parotid, thyroid, and sublingual glands. It then 
passes down the oesophagus into the paunch. The character of the 
food, however, regulates its passage into the various compart- 
ments. If the pellet of food be solid, the paunch receives it ; if it 
be semi-fluids, it goes beyond the paunch to the second and per- 
haps third compartment. This is the case with a sucking calf. 
The milk, which forms its nutriment, requires no remastication, 
and, therefore, passes directly into the true digestive cavity — the 
fourth compartment. 

It appears, therefore, that the functions of digestion and remas- 
tication are involuntary, and are governed by the same sort of 
power which causes the heart to pulsate, expands the lungs, se- 
cretes the bile, pancreatic juice, etc., without the aid or consent 
of the animal. We may, however, to a certain extent, increase 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 63 

or decrease these functions, by artificial means; but their primary 
operations are uncontrollable, simply because they are involun- 
tary. Some persons have doubted the fact of rumination, and if 
any of my readers be skeptical on this subject, let them satisfy 
themselves by experiment. The best subjects for demonstrating 
the acts of rumination are animals with lean necks. For exam- 
ple, let a person stand on the left side of the animal, in the region 
of the neck (supposing the latter to be in the ruminating mood). 
He perceives the cud re-ascend through the gullet, and re-descend 
again into the stomach. At the period of re-ascension, place the 
ear in the region of the gullet, and a gurgling sound will be heard, 
different from that accompanying re-descension. The action has 
been described as undulating, alternate, coming and going, like 
the motion of a ship; but this is regulated by the respiratory 
movements and different attitudes of the body. We can, how- 
ever, at the moment of the reascent, perceive a flank movement, 
deep inspiration, succeeded by a rapid expiration, showing con- 
clusively that a powerful nervous concurrent force (involuntary) 
controls the action of rumination. 

Finally, the cud can be made to ascend or descend, in the fol- 
lowing manner : We perceive the cud descend ; now grasp the 
gullet firmly, and it re-ascends into the mouth. We next perceive 
the cud ascending; arrest it by compressing the gullet, and it 
rapidly descends again into the stomach; hence the phenomenon 
of remastication can readily be demonstrated. 

The solid food, when once in the paunch, receives the admix- 
ture of fluid secreted from its walls. After maceration for a short 
time, the more solid parts are returned to the mouth, where they 
undergo another mastication, and are again saturated with the 
salivial fluids and swallowed. If properly masticated it reaches 
the third stomach (manyplus or omasum). Here it undergoes a 
further reduction, becomes quite pulpy, after which it enters the 
fourth stomach. 

Carpenter thus describes the phenomena of rumination : 
11 The direction of the food into one or the other of the digestive 
cavities, appears to be affected without any voluntary effort on 
the part of the animal itself, but to result simply from the very 
peculiar endowments of the lower part of the oesophagus. This 
does not entirely terminate at its opening into the first stomach or 
paunch, but it is continued onward as a deep groove with two 



64 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

lips. By the closure of these lips it is made to form a tube, 
which serves to convey the food onward into the third stomach ; 
but when they separate, the food is allowed to pass either into the 
first or second stomach. When the food is first swallowed, it has 
undergone but very little mastication ; it is, consequently, firm in 
consistence, and is brought down to the termination of the oeso- 
phagus in dry bulky masses. These separate the lips of the 
groove or demi-canal, and pass into the first and second stomachs. 
After they have been macerated in the fluids of these cavities, 
they are returned to the mouth by a reverse peristaltic action of 
the oesophagus. This return takes place in a very regular man- 
ner, the food being shaped into globular pellets by compression 
within a sort of mold formed by the ends of the demi-canal, 
drawn together, and these being conveyed to the mouth at 
regular intervals, apparently by a rhythmical movement of the 
oesophagus. After its second mastication, it is again swallowed 
in a pulpy semi-fluid state. It now passes along the groove 
which forms the continuation of the oesophagus, without opening 
its lips, and is thus conveyed into the third stomach, whence it 
passes to the fourth." 

Bloat, Hoven, or Tympanites. 

The term " bloat " has long been discarded by veterinarians as 
an indefinite term, signifying a state of turgescence, dilation, in- 
flation, or puffiness, which is merely indicative of changes in the 
form and condition of parts, without regard to the actual seat or 
nature of the difficulty. For example, a horse is bloated when 
he becomes the subject of subcellular emphysema (distension of 
the cellular membrane beneath the skin with gas), or oedema 
(dropsical tumefaction), etc. However, as every farmer appears 
to be somewhat conversant with the condition of the animal 
known as " bloat," or " hoven," we shall not offer any remarks 
calculated to mystify him, but merely suggest that the term tym- 
panites be substituted for " bloat." Tympanites intestinalis signifies 
a distension of the intestines with wind or gas, accompanied by 
an elastic distension of the abdomen. The latter, when struck or 
sounded by a blow, sounds like a drum, and indicates a windy 
distension of the abdominal viscera (a bowel or organ within the 
body), commonly known as flatulent colic. Tympanites rumenites 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 65 

signifies distension of the rumen in the bovine species — the ox 
and cow — and, in the phraseology of the grazier, is known as 
bloat or hoven. 

Causes. — The direct cause of flatulency and windy distension 
is imperfect digestion. In such cases the food, instead of under- 
going the normal process of digestion, whereby it is converted 
into chyme and chyle, ferments and evolves gases, either carbonic 
acid, or sulphureted hydrogen, and, as " a little leaven leavens the 
whole loaf," so the fermentation, once commenced in the stomach, 
goes on until the food is in a state of putrefaction, or up to the 
period when all its gaseous material has been extracted. Before 
this takes place, it frequently happens that the animal dies, either 
by rupture of the rumen or some portion of the abdominal viscera. 
In some cases, unrelieved, the distension is so great that the ani- 
mal dies in a state of suffocation, occasioned by the pressure on 
the diaphragm, and other important parts and organs. 

Imperfect indigestion may be occasioned by a deranged condi- 
tion of the digestive organs, induced by various causes, such as 
give rise to the same phenomena in man, namely, errors in diet, or 
sudden changes of the same. Thus, if stall-fed animals be turned 
into a field of clover, or into a luxuriant pasture, they not only eat 
greedily, and create an undue distension of the stomach, but they 
partake of food containing a large amount of aqueous matter, 
which, every one knows, is more indigestible than dry food ; and 
such a sudden change of diet is not always to be tolerated. There 
can be no dispute about the causes of bloat, hoven, or tympanites.. 
It evidently is occasioned by imperfect digestion. As a general 
proposition, therefore, we may contend that all indigestible matter 
may, directly or indirectly, produce a tympany of the abdominal, 
viscera ; and we may also contend that an animal may occasion- 
ally become tympanitic, under the most intelligent management,, 
owing to some inherent idiosyncrasy in the local organs, honestly 
inherited from sire or dam, or their ancestors. Hence, the reader 
will infer that this dyspepsia, or indigestion, is, like various other 
diseases which seem to appear without any direct cause, transmis- 
sible, not always directly, but by predisposition to this and other 
maladies, which is said " to lurk in breed and conformation," over 
which we have but little control other than palliative. 

Treatment. — Supposing the abdomen to be distended to its ut- 
most capacity by the extricated gas, and the animal is oppressed- 



GQ DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND STJKOERr 

and distressed in the act of breathing, there is no time to be lost. 
It is useless to resort to drug medication. The case is imminent. 
The gas must be evacuated immediately, and we therefore punc- 
ture the flank on the left side, in its most salient region, by means 
of the trocar and canula (an instrument somewhat similar to that 
used for tapping the chest). Immediate escape of the gas is the 
result, and the patient is soon relieved. Now we may resort to 
medication, and that medicine is the best which is calculated to 
arouse the action of the stomach and arrest fermentation. With 
these objects in view, I recommend the following : 

Hyposulphite of soda 4 dr. 

Tincture of ginger 2 oz. 

Water 1 pint. 

Dissolve the hyposulphite in the water, and then add the tinc- 
ture of ginger. Drench the animal with the same. If the tinc- 
ture of ginger can not be obtained, then substitute four drachms 
of the pulverized root. If the case be curable, the above treat- 
ment is almost sure to afford relief. The medicine, however, may 
be repeated at the end of four hours, if necessary. 

Remarks on the introduction of the Trocar. — Having ascertained 
that the animal is in a dangerous condition, owing to the great 
quantity of gas present Avithin the rumen, the most prominent 
point of the left flank should then be selected. Here make an 
incision through the integument, sufficiently large to admit the 
instrument. Then draw the skin upward, and puncture the ab- 
domen ; in this way we make an indirect opening, so that, when 
the trocar is withdrawn, the integument covers the orifice made 
last. The trocar must be kept very sharp or keen, so that it may, 
without using much force, penetrate the peritoneum, and, lastly, 
the rumen. Once within the latter, all resistance ceases. The 
trocar is now withdrawn, and the canula remains, for the passage 
of the gas. In bad cases, the moment the cutting instrument is 
withdrawn from its sheath, the gas will escape, with a noise resem- 
bling a steam-whistle, which conveys to us the idea that we are in 
the presence of a living locomotive, issuing a blast of warning to 
keep out of smelling distance, for ofttimes the odor is intolerable. 

It is best to let the tube remain in the stomach or paunch until 
the abdomen is reduced to about its natural size. The instrument 
must occasionally be drawn forth a little, or pushed forward, as 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 67 

the case requires ; and when it becomes obstructed with any por- 
tion of the contents of the stomach, a quill or straw may be used 
to clear the obstruction, and, as the gas escapes and the paunch or 
bowels recede, the canula, which is about six inches in length, 
must be pushed forward as far as it will go. 

Relief may sometimes be obtained by passing the probang into 
the stomach, and I should advise its use in such cases as those at- 
iended by eructation of wind by the mouth from the stomach. 

Distension of the Rumen with Food. 

It occasionally happens that the function of the stomach, as a 
whole or a part of the same, become impaired. The food is then 
very apt to accumulate in the rumen. Or it may happen that an 
anim al has partaken voraciously of meal or corn, which, becoming 
satur\ted with the fluid found in the paunch, swells to such an 
extent that there is danger of its bursting. 

Symptoms. — At first the animal is noticed to be uneasy, and fre- 
quently shifts its j)osition ; occasionally moans ; the left flank is 
swollen and hard. This swelling may be determined by a person 
taking a position directly behind the animal ; he will immediately 
perceive the enlargement. On striking the part with the hand, it 
has no drum-like (tympanitic) sound, as in hoven or bloat, but has 
a solid sound, showing that the distention is owing to the presence 
of a quantity of solid food. Should the medicinal preparations 
fail to relieve the animal, rumination then ceases, the symptoms 
become aggravated, the brain sympathizes, unconsciousness and 
convulsions occur, which soon end in death. 

Treatment. — In cases of extreme distension, it is all folly to 
waste time in administering medicine. An incision, about five 
inches in length, should be made through the left flank into the 
stomach. Then, by means of the hand, the indigestible mass is to 
be removed. This should be done carefully, so as to prevent the 
food falling into the abdominal cavity. The incision made into 
the rumen is then to be stitched, or sutured ; and, lastly, the integ- 
uments are brought together in the same way. It may be proper 
to apply a little tincture of matico or tincture of aloes to the 
wound. Having finished the operation, the next object is to 
arouse the action of the stomach, for which purpose I recommend 
the following : 



68 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Powdered golden seal 3 dr. 

Hyposulphite of soda 4 dr. 

Powdered ginger 2 dr. 

Warm water 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Drench from a bottle. The patient had better be kept hungry 
the first twenty-four hours after the operation ; then an occasional 
bran-mash, well seasoned with table salt, may be allowed. 

Many cases of very considerable severity have been relieved by 
the above treatment. There is very little danger attending an 
operation of this kind, for the rumen is not very highly organized 
with either blood-vessels or nerves. I have known several in- 
stances in which this operation has been performed in the rudest 
possible manner, with a common jackknife, and yet the animals 
operated on recovered. The intelligent husbandman, however, 
will, if possible, secure the services of a surgeon for the perform- 
ance of all operations requiring skill and good judgment. 

Removal of the Sutures, or Stitches. — The incision into the ru- 
men having been secured by very fine yet strong thread, and the 
ends cut off, needs none of our attention. The external sutures, 
however, will have to be removed in the course of a week or ten 
days. We merely cut the knot and withdraw the suture. 

Gastrointestinal Inflammation. 

Gastro-intestinal inflammation of the stomach and bowels is fre- 
quently occasioned by the presence of concretions and hair-balls, 
or some other foreign bodies. There are many plants, such as 
hemlock, crowfoot, henbane, wild poppy, etc., which act as poisons, 
and induce an inflammatory condition of the stomach and intes- 
tines. An animal may feed on substances which are too dry and 
fibrous. They accumulate and distend the stomach beyond its 
normal capacity. Or the manyplus may contract spasmodically 
and imprison the food. In either case an inflammatory condition 
is the result. The treatment of a disease of this character is very 
unsatisfactory, and it is very difficult to write out any directions 
that shall meet the emergencies in cases of the above character. 

The following case, communicated for the " Veterinarian " by 
Surgeon Redwood, will give the reader a better idea of this 
malady than the author can furnish, his experience being rather 
limited in treatment of this affection : 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 69 

"I have forwarded to you a jar containing portions of the 
abomasum of a cow that I have had slaughtered, seeing that 
further treatment was altogether useless. You will perceive a 
large gangrenous spot on the inner coat of the above viscus, which 
I consider was the cause of the symptoms presented. I have also 
sent you portions of the ilium and jejunum, which will afford you 
some idea of the intensity of the spasmodic action with which 
these intestines were affected. The whole of the small intestines 
presented the most marked spasmodic condition ; in fact they were 
like so many muscular cylindrical cords, and impervious to any 
body larger than that of an ordinary-sized goose-quill. 

Now, all the diseased conditions are enumerated in the above 
brief description. Every other organ — except the liver, which 
had a little deposit of earthy matter in a few of its larger biliary 
tubes, a very common condition of the gland — both in the thorax 
and the abdomen, presented the most healthy aspect. The animal 
was ill but thirty-six hours. 

The following were the symptoms observed and the treatment 
adopted: The patient was a dairy cow, five years old, in excel- 
lent condition, living on straw alone for the last fourteen days, 
five months advanced in pregnancy, and never had been ill before, 
being bred on the farm. When I first visited her she evinced 
all the symptoms of hoven, and that, to a great extent, so much 
so, that at one time I was about to introduce the trocar, for the 
purpose of affording relief; yet, knowing the animal could not 
have had access to succulent diet, I came to the conclusion that 
this was the effect of the chemical laws acting on vegetable mat- 
ter, over which the stomachs had, in some degree, lost their vital 
influence. The poor animal was in great agony, shown by loud 
groaning, though rarely lying down ; eyes, sunk in their orbits ; 
pulse, quick and irritable, but not such as to indicate or warrant 
depletion. Occasionally a quantity of the fluid contents of the 
rumen were regurgitated through the nose and mouth, almost, it 
would appear, involuntarily. She also, at intervals, voided a 
small quantity of commingled aqueous and mucous fluid per 
anum, although, as before remarked, from the moment she was 
observed to be ill, not the smallest portion of ingesta passed the 
abomasum, which, together with all the other stomachs, was par- 
tially filled with food in a pultaceous state. It appeared to me 
evident that the obstruction to the passage was caused by spas- 



70 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



moclic action of the pyloric orifice, the action extending throughout 
the greater portion or all of the small intestines. 

Will you favor me with your opinion as to the cause of the cir- 
cumscribed and intense inflammation of the villous coat of the true 
stomach, and say if you think it arose from any chemical irritant ? 

The treatment consisted in the exhibition of spirits of ammonia 
aromatic with the carbonate ; aperients, and at last the chlorides ; 
but all proved inert, no benefit whatever accruing therefrom. Had 
I suspected spasm to such a marked extent, I should certainly 
have given large doses of extract belladonna and hyosciami, both 
in the form of enema and by the mouth. As it was, my treatment 
was directed solely to the symptoms evinced ; and when I found 
that all the usual remedies were of no avail, as the animal was in 
high condition, I thought it best to have her destroyed. 

[The lining membrane of that portion of the alimentary canal 
forwarded by Mr. Redwood was, throughout, in a state of conges- 
tion, presenting here and there depressed or cup-like patches, which 
apparently resulted from ulceration, commencing in the submucous 
tissue. The ulceration had also penetrated, in spots, the substance 
of the mucous membrane. This condition of parts is somewhat 
singular, and might have had its origin in the existence of some 
local irritant.] " 




' ; 




IMPORTED DUTCH COW PUBMEB. 

[Imported by W. W. Chenery, of Belmont, Mass^J 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 



71 



Dentition of Cattle. 





APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS AT BIRTH. 



APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS ABOUT ONE WEEK AF- 
TER BIRTH. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AF- 
TER BIRTH. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY INCISORS 
ABOUT THREE WEEKS OR A MONTH AFTEB 
BIRTH. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS AT THE AGE OF EIGHT 
OB NINE MONTHS. 







ATPEAEANCE OP THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS AT THE AGE OF TEN OB 
EkEVEi! MQNTS& 



72 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
INCISORS AT THE AGE OP FIF- 
TEEN OB SIXTEEN, MONTHS. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 3N- 
i CISORS AT THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN OB 

NINETEEN MONTHS. 




APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY 
AND PERMANENT INCISORS AT 
THE. AGE OF AJ50UK TWO YEARS, 




APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANENT 
AND TEMPORARY TEETH AT THE 
AGE OF THREE YEARS. 





APPEARANCE OF SIX PERMANENT IN- 
CISORS AND TWO TEMPORARY AT THE 
AGE OF FOUR.. 



APPEARANCE OF ALL THE PERMANENT 
TEETH AT THE AGE OF FIVE. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 



73 




APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANENT 
TEETH AT THE AGE OP ABOUT 
6IX. YEARS. 




APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANENT 
TEETH AT THE AGE OF ABOUT 
TEN YEARS. 



Synopsis of Dentition. 



INCISORS. 



Temporary incisors all prominent at the end of one month. 

The two central permanent incisors appear in from twenty to 
twenty-four months. 

The two inner middle permanent incisors appear at about the 
age of three years. 

The two outer middle permanent incisors appear at about the 
age of four years. 

The corner permanent incisors appear between the ages of five 
and six years. 

MOLARS, OR GRINDERS. 

Temporary molars, three in each jaw, above and below, on both 
sides, are prominent at birth, or within four weeks of that period. 

Fourth temporary molars are cut at the age of six months. 

Fifth temporary molars are cut at the age of fifteen months. 

Sixth temporary molars are cut at the age of from two years to 
thirty months. 

The first and second permanent molars are cut at the age of 
about two years. 

The third molar is cut at about the age of three ; the fourth 
appears at the age of four ; the fifth at the age of five ; and the 
sixth at the age of six. 



74 dadd's veterinary medicine and surgery. 

Suspended Kumination, or Loss of Cud. 

Some people, who are in the habit of prescribing for loss of cud, 
more properly termed " cessation of rumination," suppose that if 
they can only restore the lost function the trouble will end. This 
is certainly very desirable, for an improvement in the appetite of 
sick animals is a sure sign of rapid recovery ; yet a restoration of 
the cud alone will not always insure a cure, neither are the reme- 
dies prescribed by some calculated to accomplish this object. One 
man reccommends a red herring to be thrust down the throat; 
another a portion of the quid, or cud, of a healthy cow. Others 
recommend raw beef, pork, pepper, etc. This results from mis- 
taking symptoms for disease ; for loss of cud is nothing more than 
a symptom of deranged digestive function, or that of other organs 
sympathetically associated with it. Those who have the care of 
cattle, and prescribe for them when sick, are not supposed to be 
able to trace loss of cud to derangement of one or a class of organs, 
unless they shall have had the advantages of a medical education, 
which is not often the case. They are not acquainted with the 
various sympathetic relations that exist in the animal economy, 
neither can they understand why an abnormal condition of one 
organ produces a corresponding effect in one or a class of organs 
remotely situated ; nevertheless, such are the facts. Many a poor 
cow has been thus forced to swallow down a red herring (bones 
and all) or " another cow's quid " (not of tobacco, for none other 
than two-legged animals chew quids of this description), and we 
can readily conceive that such articles may, for the time being, 
arouse the digestive organs, and create an unnatural appetite in 
animals of such refined taste and nice discrimination as the cow. 
A red herring, either whole or comminuted by the grinders, and 
then swallowed, only creates irritation on the mucous surfaces of 
the various compartments of the stomach; an unusual abundance 
of blood flows into the walls of that organ, the circulation of that 
fluid is quickened, the gastric juice flows more readily, and the 
digestive function is exalted. A repetition of the practice enfee- 
bles the power of the stomach ; its action is quickened at expendi- 
ture of power, for all unnatural excitement of a natural function 
is followed by a corresponding depression. A stimulant — and red 
herring may be classed as such — creates a desire for food ; but then 
the animal may be laboring under an acute disease of some organ, 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 75 

when food would be Inadmissible; or the stomach may be over- 
burdened and unable to digest what is already there, and, there- 
fore, requires rest, as any other organ would after long-continued 
action. 

The stomach is one of the most important organs, and performs 
some of the most delicate operations in the animal economy. Its 
functions may be suspended from various causes, and it is the 
province of the practitioner to learn and understand the why and 
wherefore of its derangement. In many cases the stomach craves 
no food, because it can not digest it; and merely creating an 
appetite by stimulants is worse than useless, for whatever is then 
eaten can not be converted into chyme, nor can the lacteals take 
it up and apply it to the purposes of nutrition. Whenever an 
animal is suffering from disease, pain, or excitement, there will 
often be absence of appetite (loss of cud), and this function is 
suspended because the animal is drawn from it by his sufferings. 

The real seat of sensation of hunger is in the brain, not in the 
stomach alone, as some suppose. The latter may first communi- 
cate some such sensation to the brain, yet if that organ be in a 
deranged condition, unable to recognize the want, then we must 
impart healthy action to it, and establish an equilibrium between 
the nervous and general system, in order to produce a natural ap- 
petite. Do you wish to know how to do this? If so, study the 
veterinary art. That the appetite is affected by the state of health, 
both of the body and mind, is certain. Human practitioners real- 
ize that. " In fever, pain, and in certain dyspeptic states, the 
stomach craves little or no food. So in mental distress, in times 
of great fear, or sorrow, or extreme anxiety, the appetite fails. 
Even in a single moment the appetite may be suspended by any 
sudden mental affection or emotion." Animals are known to man- 
ifest mental emotion when separated from their offspring, or from 
those with whom they have been accustomed to work or associate ; 
and many cases are on record showing that animals, when deprived 
of the society of their fellows, refuse their food, and die of grief, 
so that, in this particular, the brute does not differ from his mas- 
ter. Is it not a matter of importance, then, to ascertain the cause 
of loss of cud (appetite) before we prescribe red herrings, etc. ? 

" Loss of cud/' says Mr. Youatt, " is more a symptom of dis- 
ease than a disease of itself. It accompanies most inflammatory 
complaints, and is often connected with those of debility. It will 



76 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

be the duty of the practitioner to ascertain the cause of this sus- 
pension of second mastication, and to adapt his mode of treatment 
to the nature of that cause. A dose of physic, with a small por- 
tion of aromatic medicine, will be indicated if any fever can be 
detected. More than the usual quantity of aromatic should be 
added in the absence of fever, and still more, with tonic and 
alterative medicine, if general debility is indicated. The cara- 
way and ginger powder are the best aromatics, and will supersede 
every other. The gentian and ginger, with Epsom salts, will 
prove a very useful tonic and alterative in cases of loss of cud 
that can not be traced to any particular diseased state of the 
animal." 

A word to the farmer, and I have done. If you have permit- 
ted your animals to subsist on innutritious diet, so that their diges- 
tive powers have been overtaxed, and that function is paralyzed, 
then the blame rests with you. On the other hand, have you been 
preparing them for market — piling on the fat, at the same time 
depriving them of pure air and exercise ? If so, you are equally 
blamable. Is your barn and dairy management consistent with 
the received opinion of those who are the best judges in these mat- 
ters ? If not, make them so, and, depend upon it, your cattle will 
thrive and be blessed with a natural appetite ; for disease, in nine 
cases out of ten, results from violating the laws of Nature. 

Inflammation of the Bowels (Enteritis). 

Inflammation of the bowels, occurring in any of the divisions 
of the intestines, is one of frequent occurrence ; yet among cattle 
it is not liable to become so suddenly fatal as among horses. 

Symptoms. — This disease bears some analogy to colic, in the 
suddenness of its attack. A healthy animal is all at once attacked 
with abdominal pain ; gets down, and moans from incessant or 
persistent pain ; The pulse generally ranges from 60 to 70 ; rumi- 
nation has ceased, and the feces is hard, covered with slime or 
streaked with blood ; the flanks heave (as the saying is) ; the 
limbs are tremulous, and the animal has a staggering gait; the 
visible surfaces of the eye, mouth, and nostrils are reddened ; pres- 
sure upon the abdominal region (which is generally tucked up), 
elicits symptoms of pain. As the disease proceeds, these symp- 
toms are aggravated, and intestinal hemorrhage or mortification 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 77 

terminates the sufferings of the animal. The post mortem exami- 
nation generally reveals engorgement of the blood-vessels of the 
intestines, with highly-carbonized and coagulated blood ; the lin- 
ing membrane is of a dark velvet color, and the large intestines 
are, more or less, inflamed or gangrenous. 

Treatment. — The principal objects in the treatment of this dis- 
ease are, to lubricate the interior of the stomach and intestines 
with mucilage of slippery elm, and to equalize the circulation and 
nervous action over the general system. The remedies are as 
follows : 

Mucilage of slippery elm 1 quart. 

Powdered gum assafetida 2 dr. 

Powdered lobelia 1 dr. 

The above dose may be repeated at the expiration of eight hours. 
In the mean time, apply a mustard poultice to a part of the abdo- 
men, and excite the circulation on the surface of the body and 
extremities by friction with wisps of straw. An occasional anti- 
spasmodic injection should be thrown into the rectum. Two 
quarts of hot water to one ounce of powdered lobelia are about the 
proper proportions. Should the patient appear to suffer from dis- 
tension of the intestines with gas, then give one ounce of hyposul- 
phite of soda, two drachms of powdered golden seal, and one pint 
of water. 

Animals in the above condition can not bear cathartics, yet cases 
now and then occur which require a gentle aperient, merely to aid 
in the removal of fecal accumulations. When such remedy is in- 
dicated, I recommend the following, to be used as a drench : 

Glauber salts 8 oz. 

Warm water 1 pint. 

Molasses J gill. 

Powdered ginger 1 table-spoonful. 

Mix. 



INVAGINATION OF INTESTINES. 

Invagination of intestine signifies a portion of intestine drawn 
within another, there becoming strangulated. This difficulty 
does occasionally occur, and the symptoms do not differ materially 
from those attending strangulation occasioned by the cord, or vaa 
deferens. 



78 DADD S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Symptoms. — The animal passes nothing from the rectum but a 
small quantity of blood ; suffers incessant pain ; is very uneasy, 
and rumination is suspended ; he will occasionally anxiously regard 
the flanks and moan. This trouble is generally preceded by 
flatulency. 

Treatment. — The best plan of relieving the animal is to etherize 
him, for it often happens that, during etherization, a relaxation of 
the muscular tissues takes place, and such condition is favorable 
to the return of the bowel. It may be proper, while the animal 
is down, and under the influence of ether, to introduce a hand into 
the rectum and try what can be done by manipulation and traction. 
The small intestines, in which the difficulty occurs, can be seized 
through the wall of the rectum, and, perhaps, by some slight trac- 
tion or movement, the difficulty may be remedied. It is impossible, 
to tell what is the result of our efforts until the animal is relieved, 
and has had time to recover from the effects of the ether. This 
having taken place, without improvement, I should immediately 
perform the right-flank operation, search for the seat of the diffi- 
culty, and reduce the invagination. 

This operation may appear to some as a very formidable affair — 
very dangerous and painful; but a skillful surgeon, armed with 
the great Godsend, ether, can perform the same without the least 
danger. I have opened the abdominal cavity several times, in 
cases of sterility, merely to explore the uterus and 6varies, and 
never met with any accident; and to encourage those who have 
never had any experience in the performance of this operation, I 
relate the following incident : I was requested, a short time ago, 
to visit a very valuable Durham cow, the property of Mr. (r. 
Clarke, of Hyde Hall, Otsego County, N. Y., which had been 
purchased of Lord Ducie, accompanied by a warranty of pregnancy 
by one of the best bulls in England. Time revealed the fact that 
she was not pregnant. She had afterward several connections with 
the opposite sex, yet could not be impregnated. The object in 
securing my services was to solve the problem of her sterility. 
Now comes the pith of the matter. I cast her and explored the 
vagina. It appeared that there was a sort of hour-glass contrac- 
tion in the vagina, so that the hand could not be introduced more 
than six inches. At this point there appeared to exist a mechani- 
cal obstruction to further penetration. This was sufficient evidence 
of incapacity of the sexual congress, yet, having traveled a long 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 79 

distance, at great expense to the owner, and there being some pros- 
pect of litigation in the matter, I was determined to remove all 
doubts. I therefore performed the flank operation, and explored 
the uterus and ovaries. The whole were in a state of atrophy, 
except the right ovary, which was as large as the kidney of an ox. 
Being desirous of ascertaining what the character of the enlarge- 
ment was, I put my thumb and finger into it. By so doing I 
ruptured a vessel, which bled very profusely. My immediate im- 
pressions were that the animal must die of internal hemorrhage. 
It was a matter of impossibility to secure the bleeding vessel, so I 
sutured the incision, expecting that the animal would die in the 
course of a few hours ; but, contrary to my expectations she got 
well. 

DlAEEHEA. 

Diarrhea consists of an increased number of lower-bowel dis- 
charges, augmented peristaltic motion of the bowels, irritability 
of the same, and a too rapid propulsion of the secretions. Di- 
arrhea is sometimes salutary — an effort of Nature to rid the 
system of morbific matter. It frequently occurs at the com- 
mencement of various forms of disease, and is scarcely, if ever, 
an isolated affection. Gallup, in his " Institutes of Medicine," 
contends that the muco-intestinal discharges are portions of the 
centrifugal circulations, which probably have their functions ac- 
celerated by the force of the heart and arteries, above that of the 
centripetal series. A fluid, quite similar to the cold sweat of the 
skin, and by a similar process, is forced out in abundance, and 
produces the diarrhea. 

A moderate diarrhea, occurring in a plethoric animal, is often 
salutary ; for it relieves the relative plethora of the vascular sys- 
tem, which occurs at the onset of acute disease. When the dis- 
charges are of a yellow or greenish color, there is, generally, 
functional derangement of the liver. When an abundance of 
mucous material is observed, it goes to show that the mucous 
membrane is congested. Sometimes an excess of serous fluid is 
observed. This occurs more particularly in dropsical affections. 
There is also an alvinous variety of diarrhea, caused by an abnor- 
mal secretion or exudation of coagulable lymph. It frequently 
comes away in shreds, or detached pieces, from various portions 
of the intestinal canal. 



80 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Treatment. — Almost any form of this affection, except the 
chronic kind, can be checked, and perhaps cured, by administer- 
ing a few doses of charcoal and lime-water. I use these agents 
in the following proportions : 

Finely powdered charcoal . 8 oz. 

Lime-water 4 oz. 

Tincture of matico 2 oz. 

Water . . . . 1 pint. 

Mix. 

One-fourth of the above is a dose for an ox or cow, which may 
be repeated every four hours. The same remedy answers for calves, 
only they require a smaller quantity. The astringent properties 
of the above mixture can be augmented by increasing the quantity 
of matico, or by adding a small quantity of powdered bayberry 
bark. 

In all cases of diarrhea, I usually order a change of diet; for, 
in some cases, the food is operative in producing the difficulty. 
If it occur while at grass, the animal should be taken to the barn 
for a short time, and allowed a few moderate meals of ground 
oatmeal. When sucking calves are under treatment for diarrhea, 
the mother should also have a few doses of the above remedy ; for 
it often happens that she is ailing at the time, and her milk has 
a morbid tendency on the calf. In the advanced stages, when the 
fecal discharges emit a bad odor, and rumination is suspended, 
the patient should have a few quarts of milk porridge per day. 
Scalded milk alone will sustain and benefit the calf. 



Chronic Diarrhea. 

Chronic diarrhea is usually accompanied by loss of condition ; 
the coat stares, and, although the animal is allowed the very best 
kind of food, still it thrives not ; the skin and ribs seem to have 
entered into permanent relationship. In a case of this character, 
I recommend the following: 

Phosphate of lime 6 oz. 

Powdered ginger 3 oz. 

Powdered charcoal 4 oz. 

Powdered golden seal 2 oz. 

Powdered bayberry hark 1 oz. 

Mix. 

Divide the mass into eight equal parts, and mix one of them 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 81 

in the food night and morning. This will generally have the 
desired effect. Should it fail, I would increase the quantity of 
bayberry bark to three ounces. 

Gut-tie. 

It would seem that an apology is due'the reader from the author 
for introducing such an apparently vulgar term as the above ; but 
the fact is, this term has a meaning — perhaps better understood 
than any other that can be introduced at the present time. It 
would appear that " gut-tie " is often occasioned by a faulty method 
of castration, or " altering." This is the testimony of experts ; but 
it is my opinion that gut-tie often occurs more accidentally than 
otherwise, for animals have been known to die of gut-tie after being 
castrated in the best possible manner. I once operated on an ani- 
mal for this mechanical trouble, and am satisfied that the castrator 
was as well qualified to perform the operation as the best of the 
craft ; yet the cord had retracted into the abdomen, formed a false 
tissue, and had also a large bulbous extremity, which no skill or 
foresight could have possibly guarded against. 

Symptoms. — The animal operated on presented the following 
symptoms : Pulse, small and quick ; respirations, hurried ; animal 
very uneasy (all the time), down and up again very often ; rectum, 
empty, yet coated with slime ; the patient refused both food and 
water, and had not ruminated nor passed any feces for several 
hours. 

Treatment. — I proposed an operation, with the intention of ex- 
ploring the abdominal cavity, to which the owner consented. 
The patient was cast on the near or left side, and etherized. An. 
incision, five inches in length, was then made through the integu- 
ments of the right flank, midway between the last rib and ante- 
rior part of the ilium, about three inches below the transverse- 
spines of the lumbar vertebra. The muscles and peritoneum were 
also divided in the same manner as when spaying a cow. After 
introducing my hand, I found a portion of intestine incarcerated' 
by the remains of the spermatic cord, which seemed, together with, 
some false membrane, to have entangled the intestine. After lib- 
erating the latter, the divided muscles were closed by suture, one 
end of which was left long enough to hang out of the wound. The 

integuments were then sutured, and dressed with tincture of aloes*. 
6 



82 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

The patient staggered a little when he got up, but soon commenced 
eating. I did not see him afterward, but, a fortnight from the 
time of the operation, was informed that the animal experienced 
immediate relief from the difficulty, and was then well. 

Up to the present time there appears to' be no information afloat 
in this country regarding the cause and remedy of this singular 
difficulty; hence, I presume that some reliable account from other 
sources may be acceptable to the reader of this work. The fol- 
lowing account of " gut-tie " is from the pen of Surgeon Crow- 
hurst, published in the " London "Veterinarian :" 

"I was requested on the 15th of last month, to attend a two- 
year old steer, the property of W. W. Daws, Esq., of Ewhurst, 
which was taken ill the day previously ; but, it being late when 
the illness was observed, and my residence nine miles distant, 
some aperient medicine was administered, and orders given to 
send for me the next morning. When I arrived, the steer was' 
lying down in a shed, but soon got up and walked across the 
yard. His back was arched, and the abdomen tucked up. He 
was somewhat excited at first, but soon began to tremble, and to 
step in a backward direction, by putting one hind leg directly 
behind the other. Occasionally he turned his head toward his 
side, and would kick at his belly, and, now and then, stretch 
himself out, and curve his loins to a considerable extent. After 
being in the yard for a short time, he returned into the shed and 
lay down again, doing this in a very careful manner. He soon 
got up a second time, and stepped backward as before, seemingly 
for the purpose of getting his hind-quarters against some resisting 
body. The man in charge of the animal explained that the symp- 
toms had undergone but very little change since he was taken ill, 
and that he had not eaten any thing nor voided any feces. There 
were, however, several evacuations of mucus lying about the yard, 
which had been expelled from the bowels. 

Having procured a wagon-rope, and obtained the assistance of 
two or three men, I had the animal cast, and examined him per 
rectum. There were no feces present, but, on passing my hand 
onward, I readily detected a band, which was drawn tightly round 
the bowel. It appeared to pass from behind forward, and under 
the rectum. By pulling at this the animal struggled from pain. 
Finding this state of things, I at once decided upon operating, as 
I could not see the patient any more that day, having many press- 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 83 

ing professional engagements. I first cut off the hair from the 
right side, which I prefer to do while the animal is standing, that 
I may know better where to commence my incision when he is 
cast. • I will here describe my plan of casting the animal, that, 
should any person have a preferable one, I may put it in requi- 
sition in my after-proceedings. I first fastened one end of a 
rope to the off fore-leg, then passed it in front and around the 
near fore-leg, and afterward under the part of the rope between 
the legs, so as to pull them close together. Next, it was carried 
between the hind legs and round the near one, and then under 
that part which passed from the fore to the hind legs. By then 
bringing the end of the rope over the bullock's back, I was en- 
abled to throw him on his near side, and prevent his rising by 
drawing the near hind leg forward, and fixing it between the 
fore-legs. As the off hind leg was still at liberty, it was secured 
by drawing it backward, and fastening it by another rope to a 
crowbar fixed in the ground. A man was then placed on the 
animal's neck, to keep his head down, and prevent his rising. 
Every thing being ready, I commenced the operation by cutting 
through the common integument and abdominal muscles, midway 
between the anteroinferior spinous process of the ilium and the 
last rib, a short distance below the transverse processes of the 
lumbar vertebra, so as to avoid the arteries of the part. The peri- 
toneum was then broken through with the fingers, and afterward 
the left hand was introduced into the abdomen, in a direction 
toward the pelvis. I experienced no difficulty in finding the 
band, which consisted of the vas deferens, and which formed a 
semicircular projection in the abdomen from the intestines pass- 
ing behind it, or from below upward, as the steer lay on his side. 
It was drawn quite tight, and had produced strangulation of the 
intestines. I was soon enabled to liberate the intestines, after 
which I drew the vas deferens toward the opening in the muscles 
and divided it, excising a portion to the extent of about three or 
four inches. The part cut through retracted, and was left floating 
free in the abdomen. The operation was completed by passing 
some interrupted sutures of wide tape through the common integ- 
ument only. After the animal was released, I gave him some 
aperient medicine, and ordered gruel to be administered at regu- 
lar intervals. 

Before I was a student at the college, I attended a post mortem 



84 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

examination of an old \Velch runt, which my father ordered to 
be killed, as the proprietor neglected sending soon enough for him 
to be of any service. In this case there were about six inches of 
the small intestines strangulated, and quite black in color. The 
question arises, Is this affection produced from any particular 
mode of castration ? My father has castrated animals in the same 
way as taught him by his father for forty -five years, and has 
never had one case among those he has operated upon, although 
he has been called to several which had been operated upon by 
other persons. 

The calf which I have alluded to was not castrated by him, nor 
was the two-year old steer, (the subject of this communication,) by 
either of us, which tends to prove that castration has to do with 
its production, these cases having occurred in our district. I had, 
until recently, supposed that the spermatic artery, on being drawn 
at until it ruptures, in the operation of castration, might recede 
into the abdomen, and, hanging loose, afterward strangulate the 
intestines by getting around them, but I feel convinced this is not 
the case." 

The following, which lately appeared in the Edinburgh " "Vet- 
erinary Review," is offered for the reader's instruction. It is a 
translation from Gierer, by Mr. Gamgee : 

" On the Internal Ruptures in Oxen. 

" Gierer alludes to the fact that all authors agree as to the na- 
ture of the internal or peritoneal ruptures termed ' ueber-wurf/ 
by the Germans — ' gut-tie' by the English. There is a separa- 
tion of the atrophied spermatic cord from the sides of the pelvis, 
and, under peculiar circumstances, the peritoneum is lacerated ; a 
portion of intestine slips downward and backward, and the cord 
is entwined round it, so as to constrict it, obstruct the passage of 
excrement, and inflammation, with other consequences, result. 
Gierer especially describes his method of discovering the seat of 
the constriction, and his plan of operating. He says that it is not 
always so easy to find the spermatic cord, and to discover precisely 
which intestine is incarcerated. Most cases occur in oxen from 
a year and a half to four years old. When symptoms of colic, 
and no discharge of feces induce him to suspect l gut-tie/ he 
examines per rectum, and, by careful manipulation, can always 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 85 

detect the spermatic cord and imprisoned intestine. Gierer has 
never seen this strangulation relieved spontaneously; and there 
are two methods of cure to adopt — the one palliative, and the 
other radical. The first consists in the return of the intestine 
through the fissure in the spermatic cord, by quickly driving an 
ox or raising his hind-quarters in a stall. This should be tried 
soon after the first appearance of the disease. When this does not 
answer, the normal condition of the parts must be restored by the 
taxis effected through the rectum. 

Very often there may be a relapse, from the loose spermatic 
cord and fissure of the peritoneum remaining in statu quo. There 
are two methods of radical cure — one by the introduction of the 
hand through an incision through the abdominal walls, and the 
other by the rectum. Gierer always operates by the rectum, and 
his method consists in the simple return of the spermatic cord in 
contact with its natural point of attachment against the abdominal 
wall. To effect this a limited, successive, and slightly outd raw- 
ing traction forward, or from behind forward, of the intestine is 
effected ; and, having accomplished this, the soft part of the thumb 
of the right hand, which is used from the beginning of the oper- 
ation, is applied through the coats of the rectum in the lower and 
posterior part of the cord, and, with a jerk, or forward movement, 
the operation is completed. 

Gierer says that the introduction of the hand in the abdomen 
is only needed when, from the amount of intestine imprisoned, it 
is difficult to feel the rudimentary spermatic cord; but, under 
these circumstances, inflammation and gangrene would have en- 
sued already, and the operation would, therefore, be useless, and 
it is many years since he had occasion to perform it." 

Flatulent Colic. 

This disease is generally occasioned by some derangement of 
the digestive organs, whereby the food, instead of being properly 
digested, undergoes fermentation, and thus carbonic acid gas, or 
sulphureted hydrogen is evolved. 

Symptoms. — It is attended by considerable pain; the animal 
will be very restless, continually lying down and getting up again ; 
discharges gas from the anus ; strikes the belly occasionally with 
the hind feet, and the abdomen is enlarged. 



86 BAUD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Treatment. — This, species of colic can generally be relieved as 
follows: Take one ounce of hyposulphite of soda, dissolve the 
same in a quart of water ; then add tincture of ginger and tincture 
of golden seal, of each, one ounce. Drench the animal with the 
same. Clysters of soap-suds, to which a little salt may be added, 
should be thrown into the rectum occasionally. The belly should 
be well rubbed with coarse straw, and, in severe cases, I should 
rub some mustard, moistened with vinegar, on the lower part of 
the abdomen. After a lapse of two hours, should the patient ap- 
pear unrelieved, a second dose of the colic drench may be given. 
Generally, however, one dose is sufficient. 

Spasm of the Bowels. 

Spasm of the bowels, generally termed spasmodic colic, is oc- 
casioned by contraction of the longitudinal and circular fibers of 
the muscular tunic of the intestines. In this disease nearly the 
same symptoms are observed as those alluded to in flatulent colic, 
with the exception of flatulency. The patient, however, is more 
irritable and dangerous to handle than in flatulent colic, and he 
has periods of relaxation from pain which return at intervals with 
increased violence. It is supposed that this affection is caused 
by the presence of irritating matters in the intestinal canal, either 
in the form of bad food, poisonous plants, or water impregnated 
with lead. As the muscles of the intestines belong to that class 
known as involuntary, it follows that the state of spasm is the 
result of some excitability or deranged condition of the nerves of 
involuntary motion ; hence antispasmodics are indicated. In view 
of relieving the spasm, I recommend the following : 

Powdered assafetida 1 dr. 

Sulphuric ether. 2 dr. 

Thin gruel .....*. .................. . 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Use as a drench ; then administer, occasionally, an antispasmodic 
clyster, composed of warm water and a small quantity of pow- 
dered lobelia. 

Failing to relieve the animal by the above means, I should get 
him under the influence of sulphuric ether, to be applied to the 
nostrils by means of a sponge. There is no necessity for fully 
etherizing the animal, for, if kept in a partial state of stupefaction 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 87 

for about twenty minutes, the spasm will relax ; after which, let 
the patient be kept on bran-mashes for a day or more. 

Constipation of the Bowels. 

Constipation is generally the result of impaired digestion, yet, 
now and then, it is the precursor of some definite malady. The 
eld method of resorting to powerful cathartics generally aggravates 
the symptoms, and the animal dies unrelieved of the constipation. 

The best method of treating this affection is to administer, with 
an aperient, stimulants and bitters; in this way we arouse the 
action of the digestive organs, and create a lax state of the bowels 
Let the following drench be given : 

Glauber salts 12 oz. 

Powdered golden seal 3 dr. 

Powdered ginger 2 dr. 

Dissolve the Glauber salts in one quart of tepid water; then 
add the other ingredients. After a lapse of eight hours, the animal 
should be walked about, have its belly rubbed, and an occasional 
clyster of warm soap-suds may be thrown into the rectum. Should 
the medicine not operate at the expected time, administer two 
drachms of powdered mandrake, the same quantity of golden seal, 
and half an ounce of hyposulphite of soda, in about a quart of 
water. 

To prevent a recurrence of the constipation, let the animal have 
half an ounce of equal parts of golden seal and carbonate of soda 
daily, which may be mixed in the fooJ. It is important, also, in 
view of guarding against constipation, to make some change in 
the diet. Thus, if the animal has been long fed on meal, some 
coarser material (shorts) should be substituted, for a brief period 
at least. 




SECTION IV. 

PARTURITION. 

Signs of Labor, or Parturition — Natural Labor — Unnatural Labor — 
Fore-legs Presenting — One Fore-leg Presenting — Head Presenting 
"without the legs extraction of a calf on its back — hlnd legs pre- 
SENTING — Breech Presentation — Cleansing, or Removal of the After- 
birth — Back of the Calf Presenting at the Brim of the Pelvis — Ute- 
rine Hemorrhage — Birth of Twins — Triplets. 

Signs of Labor, or Parturition. 

AT the end of two hundred and seventy days from the period 
of a cow's impregnation, some enlargement of the udder 
will be perceived, and the labii pudendi (external parts of the 
genital organs) are relaxed, and appear tumefied, and a sort of 
glistening discharge issues from the same. The animal is also 
restless, and appears desirous of avoiding the society of other 
cows. Her respirations are somewhat quickened; she becomes 
nervous and irritable, and labor pains set in, occurring at stated 
periods, until, at last, the neck of the uterus dilates, the foetal 
membranes present themselves in the form of a watery tumor, 
and the parts admit of the delivery of the foetus. 



Natural Labor. 

Natural labor consists of the presentation of the placental mem- 
branes, inclosed fluid, with the head and two fore-feet of the foetus. 
In the act of natural expulsion the membranes become ruptured, 
and the liquor amnii (water) escapes. This lubricates the parts, 
and greatly facilitates the birth of the foetus. After delivery a 
few after-pains occur, by which means the placenta, or after-birth, 
is expelled. This completes the painful routine of natural labor. 
(88) 



PARTURITION. 



Unnatural, Labor. 



89 



A cow failing to give birth after the fashion described in the 
preceding article, and being in a state of parturition, having regu- 
lar uterine pains, increasing in severity as they successively occur, 
yet no appearance of the foetus, is probably the subject of false 
presentation. The character of this presentation must be ascer- 
tained, and our efforts then directed to the replacement of the part 
to its natural position. The person who intends to render assist- 
ance to the parturient cow should be clad in suitable garments. 
His arms must be bared to the shoulders, and, in view of guard- 
ing against the absorption of morbid virus, the person's arms 
should be lubricated with glycerine or olive oil. The instru- 
ments required are, embryotomy knife, embryotomy hooks, and 
slip-nooses. (See cut of instruments.) 

Fore-Legs Presenting. 

The most common false presentation is that when the two fore- 
legs are advanced into the vagina, sometimes beyond it, and the 
head turned upon the foetal body. This is occasioned by the 
muzzle having caught at the brim of the pelvis. The delivery 
can not be effected until the position is changed, without danger 
to the mother and certain destruction to the calf. The best plan 
is to attach a cord, or the slip-nooses, to each fore-leg, which are 
then to be forced back into the uterus. The head must then be 
sought for, and constant pressure exerted on the same until it is 
sent forward far enough to enable the operator to release it from 
the brim of the pelvis, and guide it into the vaginal outlet. A 
noose may then be slipped over the lower jaw; then traction on 
it and those of the fore-legs will accomplish the delivery. 

If the calf is dead I should use the embryotomy hook in pref- 
erence to the noose ; but, in view of saving the calf, the latter is 
the safest. Some care, however, is necessary in drawing out the 
fore-feet, lest the points of the hoofs lacerate the vagina. While 
the assistants are drawing steadily on the cords, the operator 
should give them a lateral action, from side to side, and upward 
and downward. This is far better than pulling persistently in 
one direction, for it tends to loosen and alter the position of im- 
pacted parts. 



90 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



One Fore-leg Presenting. 

This is also a common occurrence, and, if seen early, the de- 
livery may be safely effected by attaching the noose to the pro- 
truded leg. This is to be pushed back, the other sought for and 
secured in the same manner, and again to be returned. The head 
must then be properly placed, the legs drawn outward, and the 
delivery may be accomplished with every prospect of bringing 
forth a live calf. 



Head Presenting without the Legs. 

In a case of this character, it is evident that the legs are doubled 
up within the vagina and uterus, and, unless attended to early, the 
calf will be dead ; therefore, in order to save time and trouble, I 
should decapitate the calf, which is done as follows : Make a cir- 
cular incision around the neck through the integuments ; then cut 
down in a region between the first and second cervical vertebras, 
and sever the capsular ligaments and spinal marrow. A person 
not expert in these matters will probably succeed better in de- 
taching the head at this point than at the base of the cranium. 
Before the neck is returned, the embryotomy hooks should be in- 
serted into it, and the blades secured by tying the cord which 
passes through them. Having pushed back the neck, I run my 
hand along one limb at a time, and find the hoofs. These are 
brought forward and noosed. Traction now being made on tliie 
three cords, the delivery is secured. 

Supposing the calf to be alive, I proceed as follows: A noose 
is affixed to the lower jaw; the head is then pushed back as far 
as it can be got; the fore-legs are then to be brought into posi- 
tion as above described, after which the calf is readily brought 
away. Some difficulty may be experienced in extracting the hind 
parts. If they require much force in extraction, the probabilities 
are that the pelvis of the foetus is impacted in that of the cow. 
The long diameter of the pelvis is crosswise of the body, so that, 
if the calf be in a position that opposes its long pelvic diameter 
to the short one of the mother, it must be pushed back a few 
inches, and turned, so that its feet shall be downward, in a line 
with the cow's limbs. 

It is very important that the calf should be in the right posi- 



PARTURITION. 91 

tion as regards the diameter of the pelvis, for many valuable cows 
are ruined by the violent means used in the extraction of the hind 
parts when in a faulty position. A little tact in securing a right 
position for the exit of the calf would save a vast amount of 
unnecessary and cruel traction, which in our rural districts, where 
veterinary surgeons are not to be found, is too often employed. 

Extraction of a Calf on its Back, Hind Legs 
Presenting. 

Some persons have an idea that when a wrong presentation of 
this kind takes place the calf may be turned. This is an impos- 
sibility, and it is only a waste of time and a feat of ignorance to 
even attempt it. The calf must be extracted in the manner of pre- 
sentation. The traction, however, should be made in a direction 
toward the bones of the coccygis, or tail. In the early stages of 
this kind of parturition, the back rests on the belly of the mother, 
and the feet come in contact with her spine. If my services were 
sought at this early period, I should endeavor to bring the feet 
down, one at a time, and noose them, and proceed to deliver with- 
out making any futile attempts to change the position of the calf. 
In a case of this character, which occurred in my practice a short 
time ago, I found it impossible (the cow being down) to dislodge 
the feet from the spinal region. I therefore procured a double 
and single block tackle, and fastened it to a beam which ran 
across the barn ; the hind extremities were then attached to the 
single block by means of straps, and in this way the posterior 
parts were elevated. The consequence was, that the whole fcetal 
apparatus receded into the abdominal cavity, the feet were dis- 
lodged from the spine, and I had the satisfaction of delivering the 
animal of a live calf. 

The following case is related by Surgeon Cartwright, in the 
" Veterinarian : " 

"On the 30th of April, 1850, Mr. came for me to see a 

cow, four years old, that could not calve, as, in a former instance, 
another celebrated man at such work had been in attendance on 
her, but, from the state of the os uteri, was fairly frightened 
from making an attempt to remove it, as, he said, ' an operation ? 
must be performed on it. I found her well off at the hips, and 
about the vulva well relaxed. On introducing my hand into the 



92 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

vagina, I ascertained that the os uteri was dilated to about five 
inches in diameter, in an apparent rigid state. On passing my 
hand through the os uteri, I found that the calf lay on its back. 
The hind feet could be felt, but they were doubled up at the fet- 
locks, and pressed against the rectum and inside of the upper por- 
tion of the os uteri. In consequence of the calf lying on its back, 
and its feet being doubled up, the latter was not forced into the 
os uteri, from which cause the os uteri could not be dilated for the 
cow to calve. I immediately got one of the legs straight, brought 
it forward into the vagina, and passed a cord around it, and then 
served the other the same. Afterward we used gradual traction 
to the feet, until the os uteri was fully dilated, and, in the course 
of an hour, we removed a live calf, which, together with the cow, 
did well. I fear such cases as these may induce persons to divide 
the os uteri, thinking it in a scirrhous state. In a fortnight after, 
this person had an exactly similar case ; but, from using gross 
force, they burst open the pelvis somewhere, and the consequence 
was, the cow was obliged to be destroyed." 

Breech Presentation. 

A presentation of this kind is generally attended with difficulty 
and danger. The difficulties depend, however, somewhat on the 
length of time which has elapsed since the commencement of the 
labor. If it be recent, there is some hope for both mother and 
calf, but in a protracted case there is little hope for the mother ; 
and one reason is, the vagina or uterus is often injured or rup- 
tured by the struggles of the foetus in trying to free itself from its 
uncomfortable position. Then, again, the uterus has contracted 
upon the foetus so as almost to imprison it, at least forcing and 
impacting it within the cavity of the pelvis, so that the little ani- 
mal is almost immovable. Let a person unacquainted with bo- 
vine midwifery introduce his hand and arm in a case of this char- 
acter, and he will be astonished at the amount of force it will 
require to thread his hand between the foetus and pelvis; and 
after accomplishing his object, the hand and arm become so be- 
numbed by the pressure that he can not accomplish much, if any 
thing, until he can succeed in forcing the foetus forward, which, 
in some cases, when uterine action is strong, can not be effected 
without elevating the posterior parts of the cow by means of a 



PARTURITION. 93 

hoisting tackle. It requires a person with a long arm to be of 
much service in a case of this kind, for the limbs are extended a 
long distance into the abdomen. A breach presentation is very 
readily detected by the presence of the calf's tail, which occasion- 
ally hangs out of the vagina. 

The mode of extracting the foetus when the breech presents is 
as follows : Pressure must be made upon the buttocks of the calf 
in the interim of labor pains. Having succeeded in pushing the 
calf forward, the hocks may possibly be reached ; afterward the 
feet. These are to be brought into the vaginal passage; then, by 
traction, and altering the position of the calf, if necessary, the 
delivery is completed. Should it be found impossible to push the 
foetus forward, I should lose no time in raising the hind-quarters 
of the cow by means of hoisting apparatus, which most farmers 
have on hand. In order to avoid hurting or injuring the cow's 
limbs when hoisting the hind parts from the ground, I encircle 
the legs, just above the fetlock, with some old gunnybag, or 
something of the sort ; then affix a strap to each leg, into which 
the tackle must be hooked. The cow is, of course, raised from 
the floor, belly upward. 

Cleansing, or Eemoval of the After-birth. 

After the delivery, the after-birth should be detached, if pos- 
sible ; for, if it be allowed to occupy the uterus, the latter contracts 
upon it, and there it may remain for a week or more, and, at last, 
come away a mass of putridity — not, however, before the cow has 
suffered some derangement of health. So soon as the calf is born, 
I introduce my hand, and pull, in various directions, on the um- 
bilical cord. Failing to bring the placenta away, I introduce my 
whole arm, and carefully detach the now foreign body from the 
cotyledons of the uterus. The uterus shortly afterward contracts, 
and thus effectually prevents uterine hemorrhage. 

It has been my universal custom, of late, to remove the placenta 
immediately after the birth of the calf, and I do so because I con- 
sider it unwise to allow it to remain ; for the labor is not then 
completed. No practitioner of midwifery in human medicine 
would ever deem it proper to leave his patient until the "after- 
birth" was removed, for it would, most undoubtedly, endanger 
the mother's life if it were left to rot away, as is too often the case 



94 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY 

with the poor uncomplaining cow. In the removal of the placenta, 
I am careful not to pull too hard on the umbilical cord, lest in- 
version of the uterus ensue. A little tact and patience will often 
accomplish wonders. The placenta may be detached from the 
cotyledons, and yet can not be drawn away. The probability is 
that some irregular contraction of the uterus retains it. JSfow u e 
must exercise a little patience, and then introduce the arm and 
feel for the seat of contraction. This can probably be dilated \,y 
the fingers, and then the placenta may easily be removed. 

In cases of protracted labor, when the cow is much exhausted, 
the placenta may remain in the uncontracted uterus for want of 
muscular power in the same to expel it. In such a case I should 
give the cow about a quart of ginger tea, and if any tympany of 
the intestines exist, I should add a small quantity of carbonate of 
soda. 

The absurd practice of attaching a weight to the membranes, or 
rolling them on a stick, as heretofore recommended, is not in ac- 
cordance with my views of an enlightened system of practice. To 
say the least, it is unscientific, and presents an unsightly appear- 
ance. The odor which arises from the putrid mass, in the course 
of a few days, is enough to sicken a dog, and no doubt it does 
sicken pregnant cows, and may induce abortion. The membranes 
must be removed. 

The abominable practice of allowing the cow to devour the 
after-birth is much to be deplored. I know the custom has the 
sanction of long usage, but that, in my opinion, is no argument :.n 
its favor. The cow is not a cannibal nor a carniverous animal, 
yet, for the sake of getting rid of an unsightly and filthy mass of 
carrion, which ought to have been removed from her sight, she is 
tempted, and finally does devour it. She may, however, some- 
times be led to devour the placenta and foetal membranes through 
the promptings of a morbid appetite. The best and safest way 
to dispose of the after-birth is to burn it, for the odor arising 
from it under the process of decomposition has a bad effect on 
pregnant cows of a highly imaginative and nervous temperament, 
and the odoriferous morbid germ is more active in warm than cold 
weather. 



parturition. 95 

Back of the Calf presenting at the Brim of the 

Pelvis. 

This unfortunate presentation is one of rare occurrence. I never 
saw but one case, and that I now propose to introduce for the 
instruction of my readers. I was called, a short time ago, to visit 

a cow, the property of Mr. B , of Winchester. The animal 

had been in labor, with strong parturient pains, for twelve hours. 
In the mean time several persons had tried their skill on the poor 
brute, without doing the least good. At the time of my visit, she 
was in a deplorable condition. Her ears, horns, and extremities 
were icy cold ; she was delirious, throwing her head about in a 
reckless manner, as if in convulsions ; the vaginal lips were very 
much tumefied, their lining membrane being highly inflamed. I 
immediately gave her a good drench of stimulating medicine, 
which appeared to have a good effect in restoring warmth on the 
external surface and in the extremities. On making an examina- 
tion, I discovered that the back or spinal column of the foetus was 
firmly impacted within the brim of the pelvis ; consequently every 
uterine effort to expel the same was only making matters worse. 
I employed all the usual means to change the position of the calf 
to no purpose. Finally, I proposed an operation, to which the 
owner consented. I now etherized the cow, turned her on her 
left side, and made an incision through the right flank, beginning 
at a point two inches beneath the transverse processes of the lum- 
bar vertebra, mid-distance of the last rib and anterior spine of the 
pelvis. The length of the incision was about ten inches. I then 
divided the muscles in this region known as the transversalis, 
external and internal oblique. Having thus exposed the perito- 
neum, I punctured it, and, by means of a probe-pointed bistoury, 
dilated it to the extent of the external incision. I then made an 
incision through the uterus, disemboweled the calf, so as to reduce 
its bulk, and, finally, removed the heart and lungs; yet I could 
not extract the carcass (which was of extraordinary size). I there- 
fore made a section of the spinal column, and removed the foetus 
in halves; then took away the placenta, and removed all fluids 
by means of a sponge. The incision was properly sutured, and, 
after a short period, the cow got up and partook of a bran-mash. 
Twenty-four hours after the operation the cow died. This proba- 
bly occurred from the exhausted condition of the animal at the 



96 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

period of operating. "When nothing except an operation of this 
kind can save the mother, I recommend that it be performed early, 
so that there shall be vitality enough in the system to bear up 



against it. 



Uterine Hemorrhage. 



Uterine hemorrhage is known, in common parlance, as flooding 
from the womb. Occasionally it does occur as a sequel of forcible 
extraction of the calf, followed by an unwarrantable harshness in 
extracting the placenta and its membranes from the uterine coty- 
ledans. The best plan of arresting this kind of hemorrhage is to 
drench the cow with two ounces of tincture of matico, and then 
encircle the body, in the region of the small of the back, with a 
cold-water bandage. The object, in a case of this kind, is to in- 
duce contraction of the uterus, for, when once contracted, the flood- 
ing will soon cease. 

Birth of Twins. 

There are many cases on record of cows giving birth to twins, 
and even triplets, without manual assistance ; yet occasionally, in 
consequence of two presenting in the passage at once, some assist- 
ance is needed. "When called to a case of this character, the object 
should be to ascertain if the parts presenting belong to one or two 
calves. If the latter be the case, one must be pushed back and 
the other advanced ; for they can not both be born at once without 
periling the life of the mother. 

Triplets. 

Three years ago I visited Keene, N. H., on the occasion of the 
State Fair, and saw a cow of native breed, the property of Mr. 
Aldrich. I learned that at two previous births she had brought 
forth twins, and now was the mother of three at one birth. These 
were milk-white, and a perfect counterpart of each other. I un- 
derstood Mr. Aldrich to say that the cow had never been bred to 
the same bull, so that the plural and triple births were the result 
of a peculiarity of constitution on the part of the cow. This re- 
markable peculiarity seems to favor the hypotheses of Pythagoras 
and Aristotle, who maintained that the female parent affords all 



PARTURITION. 97 

the materials necessary for the formation of the offspring, the office 
of the male being merely to awaken the dormant formative powers 
residing in the female ovaducts. The " ovists " further assume 
that the foetal germs already exist, with all their organs, in some 
part of the female organs of generation, and that the action of the 
male is merely that of exciting and endowing the foetus with vi- 
tality. These theories, however, appear irreconcilable with the 
phenomena of the offspring inheriting the faults and defects of 
the male. The cow alluded to never required any assistance in 
labor. This may be accounted for from the fact that the mother 
had a large pelvis, and her offspring at the time of birth Avere all 
small. 

. But here are two other remarkable cases, as related by Mr. 
Gamgee, in his translations : 

"The subject of this notice had been delivered of her first calf 
in January, 1857, when two years old — a fine heifer of the Brittany 
breed, and. of medium size. Soon after she was served (only once) 
by a bull of the district, and became impregnated. During gesta- 
tion the animal was healthy, walked easily, and her belly presented 
no uncommon appearance as regards size. On December 26, her 
term of gestation having closed with little pain or expulsive efforts, 
she gave birth, in a very few minutes, to two calves (male and fe- 
male), the first being in the normal position, the last having the 
posterior limbs presented first. At the same time the foetal envel- 
opes of the calves came away. 

During delivery the cow showed no suffering, and would eat 
and drink as usual. Shortly after, the attendants perceived, be- 
tween the lips of the vulva, two white, soft tumors, which they 
took for inverted uterus, and at once hastened for the cow-doctor. 
Meanwhile, a neighbor, thinking he recognized in them the water- 
bags, pricked them, and, on the escape of the water, another calf 
was seen, with a natural presentation, which was soon delivered 
by the efforts of the mother. This was immediately followed by 
a fourth, which was also easily expelled. These two last — the 
first a female, the last a male — died in a few seconds, though, 
doubtless, had the liquor amnii been at once evacuated, both 
might have survived, as they were even stronger than the two 
first. They were very fat, and weighed, when given to the 
butcher, 25 kilogrammes each. 

" The cow which has shown such remarkable fecundity (five' 



98 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

calves in one year) has all along preserved the most perfect 
health." 

Remarkable Fecundation in a Cow. — Mr. M. B. Forbes sent the 
London "Veterinarian" the following particulars relating to the 
birth of five calves at one time : " A cow of the short-horned breed, 
six years old, the property of Mr. Richard Knight, farmer, Santon, 
about a mile from Ryegate, was safely delivered on Monday morn- 
ing, the 21st of February, three weeks before her time, of five 
calves — four bulls and one cow. Three of the calves died a few 
hours after birth, but the fourth survived until Tuesday, and the 
fifth until the following day, Wednesday." Mr. Forbes saw the 
cow on the 23d, and found her going on well. It was her third 
calving. > 




SECTION V. 

DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 

Constriction of the Neck of the Uterus — Embryotomy — Treatment of Cows 
during Pregnancy — Symptoms of Pregnancy — Dropsy of the Womb — Puer- 
peral Fever — Falling of the Womb. 



Constriction at the Neck of the Uterus. 

OWING to some abnormal condition of the neck of the uterus, 
it is occasionally the seat of constriction. The difficulty can 
only be determined by introducing the hand into the vagina; then, 
by bringing the fingers in contact with the mouth of the womb, it 
is found in an undilated and indurated or hardened state. Should 
the labor pains be quite strong, and no signs of relaxation appear- 
ing, I should then introduce a probe-pointed bistoury or the em- 
bryotomy knife into the neck of the uterus, and dilate the stricture, 
by making incisions into the inner border of the strictured or har- 
dened mass. This will allow of some slight dilatation, large 
enough for a bladder of foetal membrane to gain entrance. After 
this takes place, the labor will gradually progress, and, if every 
thing goes right, as the saying is, a live calf may soon be expected 
to make its appearance, and the cow may also be expected to sur- 
vive the operation. 

Embryotomy. 

The operation known among medical men as embryotomy, sig- 
nifies dismemberment of the calf within the vagina and uterus. I 
presume no man, except he be acquainted with the anatomy of the 
parts, would dare to attempt the dismemberment and disembowel- 
ment of the foetus. It is an operation, however, which has to be 
performed very often, and it has saved the lives of very many 
valuable cows ; therefore I shall try to " post " the reader on the 

(99) 



100 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

subject. The instrument used for this purpose is called an embry- 
otomy knife (see cut of instruments), and is introduced into the 
uterine cavity, concealed in the hand, so that its cutting edge shall 
not injure the genital organs of the cow. 

Mode of Operation. — Having introduced the knife within the 
uterine cavity, I run my hand along the foetal limb to the top of the 
shoulder, if possible, and there turn the knife and send its beak 
point through the integument, and slit the same to the region of 
the knee. Here I make a circular incision of the integument 
around the knee. A slip-noose is affixed to the fetlock, and, while 
an assistant is making steady traction on the same, I loosen the 
integument from the limb; then, by a little dexterity in the use 
of the knife, at the top of the shoulder and elsewhere, the whole 
leg is drawn away. After amputating the shoulder, I make an 
incision through the cartilages of the ribs. This exposes the whole 
of the thoracic viscera, which I remove. If the bulk of the calf 
appears to be sufficiently reduced to insure its extraction, I affix 
a noose to the remaining fore-leg, and, by traction, remove the 
carcass. The only difficulty in the way of a prompt extraction 
occurs, oftentimes, in consequence of the foetal head being bent 
round on the opposite side of the chest ; but, under ordinary cir- 
cumstances, the calf can be extracted without proceeding to disem- 
bowel or decapitate it. If, however, either of the latter operations 
will facilitate the birth of the calf, I should certainly perform one 
or the other, or both. Having extracted the whole of the foetus, 
I next remove the placenta and membranes, and then drench the 
cow with the following : 

Fluid extract of ginger ^ oz. 

Tincture of matico 1 oz. 

Warm water 1 quart. 

This will improve the condition of the prostrate animal, and in- 
sure contraction of the uterus. The uterine expulsive power, so 
favorable to the liberation of the calf, if dormant, can readily be 
aroused by administering a stimulating drench. 



Treatment of Cows During Pregnancy. 

The cow is the only animal with which I am acquainted that 
, T ields milk regularly during the trying and prostrating probation 
of pregnancy. She has not only to yield milk for the profit of 



DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 101 

her owner, but she must also furnish an identical preparation for 
the nourishment of the foetus in utero. Then, again, the integrity 
of her own system requires that her digestive organs shall furnish 
enough of chyme and chyle for the manufacture of good, rich blood, 
to repair incidental and extraordinary wear and tear of her system ; 
therefore she should be well fed and cared for. Any stinting or 
miserly economy in the feeding of pregnant cows is very poor 
policy, and is a sort of starvation procedure, which can never be 
expected to pay. It is impossible for the cow to discharge these 
treble duties unless she be generously fed on nutrimental agents, 
containing the necessary equivalents. I am aware that most cows 
are too well fed, hence milk fever and other inflammatory, affec- 
tions ; yet the food given to some cows in this region, such as swill, 
brewer's grains, corn-stalks, coarse, damaged hay, etc., is not suit- 
able for pregnant cows. They should have a mess of roots occa- 
sionally, and about a quart of meal night and morning, which may 
be stirred in a bucket of water, to which add a tea-spoonful of 
salt. A reasonable quantity of good, sweet hay should be allowed 
daily. This will not only keep the stomach distended to a healthy 
capacity, but will also furnish matter for remastication, by which 
process a large amount of saliva is secreted, and passes into the 
stomach, where it operates on the food therein contained as a pow- 
erful digester. 

A pregnant cow should never be confined to the cow-house, for 
want of proper exercise induces plethora, and a plethoric condition 
of the system retards the development of the foetus ; hence the cow 
is very apt to go over her time. The pregnant animal needs, and 
must have, exercise. It aids in the circulation of blood through 
her system: it brings the blood oftener in contact with aerating 
surfaces, and thus invigorates it ; in short, the whole animal econ- 
omy is benefited by exercise in the open air. If the season of the 
year admits, the cow should be sent to pasture. Here, under the 
advantages arising from pure air, natural food, etc., she will get in 
fine condition, so that when the period of calving arrives she will 
be strong and vigorous, and can bring forth a healthy calf. It 
must be borne in mind, however, that the petted, stall-fed cow is 
not a safe subject to leave in the pasture at night. The cold, damp 
ground and air are apt to derange her health ; therefore she should 
be housed at night and on stormy days. 

As regards milking the animal during pregnancy, it must de- 



102 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

pend on circumstances. A cow in good condition may be milked 
longer than a poor one, and the poor, overmilked animal must 
" go dry/' as the saying is, for a couple of months prior to calving. 
Should a pregnant animal yield milk up to within a fortnight of 
calving, she should have a few bran-mashes, and the daily quan- 
tity of food and drink must be diminished. She should also have 
free access to salt, and occasionally a table-spoonful or so of phos- 
phate of lime may be sprinkled over her fodder. 

Symptoms op Pregnancy. 

A cow in healthy condition will be in heat (a state of menstru- 
ation) about once a month. This lasts for a period of four days, 
more or less. About three or four months after conception has 
taken place, the belly is enlarged, and, on making pressure on the 
right flank, the motions of a live fcetus can be distinctly felt. 
Pregnancy may be determined earlier than this by auscultation 
(the art of diagnosis by listening to the sounds of the heart). The 
beating of the foetal heart can be distinctly heard. The ear should 
be applied to the right flank. 

Dropsy op the Womb. 

This aifection generally prevails among aged cows, in the latter 
period of pregnancy. The causes of it are, perhaps obscure ; yet 
it may be attributable, like other dropsies, to a debilitated condi- 
tion of the system, and an impoverished state of the blood. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms noticed in this aifection are as fol- 
lows : An unhealthy and debilitated state of the animal ; visible 
membranes, pale and watery ; a pendulous and much enlarged con- 
dition of the abdomen; spinal column, curved in a downward 
direction ; and the animal, when down, is observed to rise with 
difficulty. 

Treatment. — It often happens that in dropsy of the uterus, the 
walls of the abdomen are ruptured, and the fluid escapes into the 
cellular tissue beneath the common integuments. This is readily 
detected by an unnatural tumefaction, or swelling, in some part 
of the abdominal region. My usual practice in a case of this char- 
acter is to puncture the integument, and allow the fluid to escape. 
I then direct that the animal have a few doses of the following ; 



DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 103 

Fluid extract of bucliu ... 1 oz. 

Powdered chlorate of potass 4 dr. 

Water 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Give a dose of the above once or twice daily. 

Dropsy confined to the uterus is a formidable affection, because 
it requires the services of an experienced surgeon, who will, prob- 
ably, tap the dropsical membranes through the vagina; yet the 
operation is not always advisable, for it frequently results in pre- 
mature parturition. 

Puerperal, Fever. 

During the past few years, very many valuable cows have died 
of " milk fever" (puerperal fever), puerperal convulsions, etc. It 
is a remarkable fact that this disease almost always attacks cows 
in high condition; hence, in view of prevention, we should en- 
deavor to guard against the accumulation of fat ; and this can be 
done by withholding meal and substituting shorts, and also by 
allowing considerable quantities of roots and grass, when they can 
be had. 

Puerperal fever is a disease of an inflammatory type. The state 
of plethora, which is observed among fine cows owned by wealthy 
individuals, who dispense provender liberally, because they hate 
to see a " poor " cow, is more likely to occur in a cow when preg- 
nant and stall-fed (from the fat of the crib) than otherwise, be- 
cause, under such management, she does not get exercise enough 
to make away with the carbonaceous material, and, therefore, it 
increases from day to day, and is harvested into the cell reservoirs, 
proving in its bulk detrimental to full and free circulation, respira- 
tion, and intestinal peristaltic action. 

The warm and impure atmosphere which the stall-fed animal is 
compelled to respire is decidedly operative in bringing about that 
condition known as plethora; therefore our object should be to 
secure a current of cool and pure air throughout the cow-stable. 
Pure and cool air is a very potent physiological, sedative, contra- 
stimulant, and, as the fat animal is in a morbid state of excitation 
from the stimulus of the food, as well as artificial atmosphere, the 
suffering creature will surely be benefited by inhaling the requisite 
amount of an uncontaminated atmosphere. 

The principal causes of puerperal fever in women are said to 



104 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

be misplaced benevolence, which benevolently (!) furnishes hei 
with choice viands, rich caudles, and stimulants, in view of obvi- 
ating debility and insuring hilarity of mind. Now, the condition 
of the pregnant female being one of increased susceptibility, it 
fully demonstrates the incompatibility of using even what may 
be considered as the ordinary stimulations of health. Therefore, 
in the case of the cow, stimulating food, and an unnecessary 
amount of the same, given daily after the cow has " come to her 
growth," as the saying is, may be termed misplaced benevolence ; 
whereas, if the cow has not attained her full growth, the practice 
of feeding liberally is not objectionable, for she requires a large 
amount of nutriment to develop the various parts of her organ- 
ism, and promote the integrity of the same, and also to nourish 
the foetus in utero, and, lastly, for the purpose of furnishing the 
necessary material for the lacteal secretion. It has been noticed 
that great milkers, as well as fat animals, are often the subjects 
of puerperal fever; and probably the suppression of the milk 
secretion, in the advanced stage of pregnancy, may be an exciting 
cause of the difficulty, yet not in all cases, for we are pretty cer- 
tain that some cows, owing to a peculiarity of constitution, are 
predisposed to puerperal hysteritis. In view, therefore, of guard- 
ing against the consequences which may occur when the animal 
is suddenly " dried up," we should be careful to diminish the 
daily allowance of food, and also feed lightly from this period up 
to that of parturition. 

Milking the cow before calving, in view of preventing puer- 
peral fever, is very mischievous, for it is apt to excite premature 
parturition. Many of the cows I have attended for the above 
complaint had been so treated. Occasionally the udder becomes 
distended to a painful degree, so that it is necessary to practice 
moderate milking, otherwise the practice is injurious. 

It is generally supposed that this disease first manifests itself 
in some parts of the tissues entering into the composition of the 
reproductive organs; or, in other language, primary congestion 
and irritation of the womb, ending in cerebral congestion and 
convulsions. The cerebral congestion, however, is not always the 
cause of convulsions, for we have many cases on record in which 
phlebotomy was practiced on the heroic plan (an incredible amount 
of blood having been abstracted) without arresting the convul- 
sions ; hence, in such cases, congestion is the result, not the cause, 



DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 105 

of convulsions. A very eminent physician (Dr. Logan) has 
stated, as the result of observation, that puerperal convulsions 
were generally found in females of highly organized nervous sys- 
tems, and who were peculiarly susceptible to irritation of that 
system; yet our experience in this country, in cattle practice, 
confirms what we have written in the preceding part of this arti- 
cle ; namely, that puerperal convulsions are more frequent among 
fat animals than in those of lean condition. The theory of Dr. 
Logan may, in the main, be correct ; for a lean animal (nervous 
temperament) can, by artificial means, be brought into the condi- 
tion known as plethora. 

Youatt contends that " cows in high condition are most sub- 
ject to an attack of puerperal fever. Their excess of condition, 
or state of plethora, disposes them to affections of an inflammatory 
character, at all times and under all circumstances." If it shall 
prove to be the case that puerperal fever is the result of uterine 
inflammation, we should diagnose the case as puerperal hysteritis, 
and treat accordingly. Puerperal hysteritis may, however, occur 
at any period of pregnancy. 

Symptoms. — The early symptoms attending a disease of this 
character are such as are found to prevail in a disease of a febrile 
character ; namely, loss of appetite, accelerated pulse and respira- 
tion (the latter attended with strong but quick abdominal flank 
movements) ; tongue, slightly coated ; mouth, hot .and clammy ; 
muzzle, dry. There is also a sort of wildness about the eyes ; the 
animal is nervous, and some unusual spasmodic twitchings of the 
muscles will generally be observed. Soon the animal grates her 
teeth, foams at the mouth, dashes her head recklessly on the floor 
(for she is now on the floor). Examine the eye at this stage, and 
the pupil will be found in an amaurotic state. The udder be- 
comes swollen, hot, and tender, and the lacteal secretion is partly 
suspended. 

The disease generally appears within a fortnight after calving, 
and it may occur within a very few hours. Its duration is very 
brief, both the curable and incurable cases terminating either one 
way or the other in a short time; and if violent convulsions set 
in, we generally find that the patient has but little time to live. 
Especially is this the case when paraplegia be present, or paralysis 
in any form. The principal symptoms in which the diagnosis 
must be founded are as follows : We first ascertain whether or not 



106 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the animal has, within the period of a fortnight, given birth to a 
calf. If so, and she manifests the usual symptoms of convulsions, 
(refuses to notice her calf, has lost the use, more or less, of her 
limbs, and the eyes present a wild stare, the pupils being dilated, 
and the udder swollen,) we may then safely conclude that we have 
a case of milk fever to deal with. 

Treatment. — The professional man treats the disease according 
to its indications, and the non-professional, if he attempt to treat 
a case of this character, must endeavor to do likewise. I can not 
possibly commit to paper all the necessary information, but shall 
merely lay down a few simple rules for the management of such 
cases. At the same time, I would advise the owner of the sick 
cow to secure, if possible, the services of some competent veteri- 
narian. Some practitioners recommend the abstraction of blood 
from the jugular vein, but my practice is to bleed from the bow- 
els, by administering purgative medicine. In this way the animal 
can be depleted with greater safety than by blood-letting. The 
cathartic is as follows : 

Glauber salts 12 oz. 

Powdered ginger ^ oz. 

Warm water 1 qt. 

First dissolve the salts in the above amount of water, then add 
the ginger. Drench the animal by means of a quart bottle. Take 
time to pour it down the oesophagus, and the more speedily will 
it act. If I have no faith in blood-letting, I may be said to have 
great faith in purgation; for, as Percivall very truly observes, 
in regard to the treatment of staggers in horses, " Purge a horse 
and you cure him," so I say in regard to the treatment of puer- 
peral fever, Purge a cow and she shall be cured. The bowels 
must be made to liberate their contents. After having adminis- 
tered the medicine, the patient must be watched, and, when, she 
lies down, let her have a comfortable bed of hay ; and the attend- 
ant should occasionally sponge her head with cold water. When 
down, a good stimulating alkaline enema may be thrown into the 
rectum, composed of 

Warm water 2 qts. 

Ginger \ oz. 

Fine salt 2 oz. 

Supposing that, after a lapse of six or eight hours, the bowels 



PARTURITION. 107 

fall to respond to the purgative, half the quantity just recom- 
mended may be given ; and perhaps it may be proper, in view of 
creating a vacuum in the rectum, to repeat the enema ; for pur- 
gation once established our patient is safe; yet, in view of pro- 
ducing this very desirable result, it is not a rational procedure to 
convert the stomach into an apothecary's shop, and gorge it with 
useless drugs, as is, unfortunately, too often the case; for, by this 
means, a medicinal disease is created, which is generally more 
uncontrollable than the original one. 

In curable cases it is very rare for the above medicine to fail in 
exciting catharsis; however, such remedy is not always at hand 
(I mean the salts). The next best remedy is common table salt, 
to be substituted for the Glauber or Epsom salts. 

Other indications to be fulfilled in the Treatment of this Dis- 
ease. — The palsied limbs require attention. Let them be diligently 
rubbed with tincture of capsicum (hot drops), in view of producing 
reaction. By this means we equalize the circulation, and thus 
relieve internal congestion. Should the bowels be tympanitic, or 
distended with gas, a quart of ginger tea may be given ; and it 
may do more good if a small quantity of carbonate of soda be 
added to the same. Should the animal be thirsty, a small quan- 
tity of powdered niter may be dissolved in water or thin gruel, 
and offered to her. After the bowels have operated, the danger 
passed, a few doses of alterative medicine may be giyen. This is 
composed of 

Fluid extract of sassafras 1 oz. 

Fluid extract of hops 3 dr. 

Water 1 gill. 

Mix. 

The following case, from the author's note-book, is here intro- 
duced to illustrate a new mode of treatment. The case occurred 

in a five-year old cow, the property of Mr. G , of Maiden, 

Mass. The animal gave birth, without assistance, to a healthy 
male calf. The birth took place during the night-time, at pas- 
ture, the weather being rather tempestuous. Three days after 
parturition, the cow showed symptoms of failing health, and the 
owner, like a sensible man, instead of boring the animal's horns, 
at the suggestion of the neighbors, preferred to seek advice; 
hence my services were secured. 

The patient was down on the left side; pupils, amaurotic; 



108 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

pulse, scarcely perceptible ; respiration, of a stertorous character, 
and accelerated ; surface of the body, comfortably warm ; visible 
surfaces, of a leaden hue; abdomen, slightly tympanitic. The 
animal occasionally turned its head toward the costal region, and 
returned it recklessly to the floor ; mamma, tumefied and hot ; in- 
ternal surface of the labia pudencli, inflamed. The patient takes 
no notice of its offspring. Applied counter-irritants to the spinal 
and pectoral regions, and then applied sulphuric ether to the 
nostrils. The object in administering sulphuric ether was to 
diminish the reflex excitability of the nervous system, and so cut 
short the convulsive paroxysms. The ether appeared to prove 
invaluable ; for, soon after its administration, the animal appeared 
calm, tranquil, and rational, and soon began to take notice of its 
offspring. I then administered table salt, eight ounces; water, 
one pint. Flannels, saturated with infusion of hops, were now 
applied to the mamma, and renewed occasionally. In the course 
of thirty-six hours after the administration of the ether, the pa- 
tient was standing up, nursing her offspring, and, at the same 
time, partook of a bran-mash. The following three days, the pa- 
tient got two drachms of fluid extract of chamomile flowers per 
diem, and was then turned out to grass, and did very well. 

Remarks on the Preceding Case. — The treatment of puerperal 
fever, in bygone days, is a disgrace to what has been considered 
as a " learned profession." It is a very unfortunate circumstance 
that such learned men as Ramsbotham, Churchill, Meigs, and 
other equally distinguished midwifarians, should contend that 
"the lancet is our sheet-anchor in puerperal convulsions." They 
inform the world of medical non-thinkers that the daring use of 
" the lancet is demanded ; " that " the lancet is our sheet-anchor ; " 
that " blood must be taken largely ; " yet a great proportion of 
their patients thus treated prematurely pay the debt of Nature 
secundum ar tern. What a libel on a "learned profession" is this 
state of affairs! And, unfortunately,, the distinguished French 
surgeon Cazeaux has indorsed the. reckless tactics of Eng- 
land's universally wretched practice ; namely, " sanguine emis- 
sions." Now, I contend that the routine practice of the acknowl- 
edged authorities will not stand the test of modern medical logic ; 
that it is contrary to all demonstrative experience, and, therefore, 
should receive the seal of oblivious antiquity, never to be reacted 
or countenanced by sensible men. The old school heretics are 



PARTURITION. 



109 



great sticklers for the support of their tottering fabric — namely, 
" that fever and inflammation must be subdued " — and they com- 
mit outrages on the physiological laws of animality by instituting 
a series of manipulations, redolent of the aroma, acceptable to the 
god of pathology, whom they worship with the spontaneous faith 
of a new convert. 

Falling (or Inversion) of the Womb. 

This sad accident is generally occasioned by extra uterine ex- 
pulsive action, at the moment of the birth of the calf, aided by 
adhesions of the placenta to the cotyledons, by which means, in 
the process of delivery, the uterus is actually turned inside out. 
The relaxation of the ligaments, which ordinarily confine the 




FALLING OP THE WOMB. 



Explanation.— Fig. 1, Pudendum ; 2 6, Region of the neck of the womb; 3, Vagina; 4, The 
cotyledons of glands of the uterus ; 5, Body of the womb turned inside out. 



uterus to the pelvic cavity, may be one among the various causes 
which tend to induce inversion. The accident, so far as my ex- 
perience goes, is apt to occur in animals of an inferior class, coarse 
and flabbily organized, and among others in a debilitated condi- 
tion. The only way to prevent a recurrence of inversion is to 
spay the cow. 

Treatment. — The old method of introducing the arm, in order 
to force back the protruded parts, is now superseded by a bulbous 
rod of iron, which must be applied to the fundus or base of the 



110 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

womb. A due amount of pressure being steadily made, an assist- 
ant manipulates the sides, and the womb is re-inverted. Some- 
times it is very difficult to get the womb back, in consequence of 
latent uterine action, which convulsively resists our efforts, and 
violently sends it out again at the moment of return. Should 
the convulsive action of the uterus continue any great length of 
time, I should etherize the animal, and, when fully under its in- 
fluence, the reduction may again be attempted, and probably con- 
summated. The instrument should be kept in the womb for 
some time after reduction, so as to give the muscular fibers of its 
walls time enough to contract ; and it may be necessary to have a 
man in attendance for a whole day or more, in view of accom- 
plishing this result. 

So soon as the reduction is complete, I should sponge the loins 
often with cold water ; or a better plan, perhaps, would be to pack 
the loins, after the fashion of hydropathy. The loins and abdo- 
men will, by this method, receive considerable support, which will 
be favorable to induce contractile power in the uterus. 

Sometimes the presence of the bulbous instrument in the uterus, 
after reduction, tends to keep up the after-pains, or expulsive ac- 
tion, and if so, it must be removed, previous to which, however, 
some stout tape should be sent through the thick skin in the re- 
gion of the prominences found on each side of the vaginal outlet, 
known as the tuberosity of the ischium. This is a much better 
plan than that of stitching the vaginal lips. After removing the 
instrument, a pad may be placed on the lips of the vagina ; then 
tie the tape sutures moderately tight. Two sutures will answer, 
and they can be allowed to remain until all danger of re-inversion 
has passed. The animal should be placed in a situation where the 
hind parts can be elevated a few inches. 

The following cases appear interesting enough to obtain a 
space in this work, and I recommend them to the reader's perusal. 
They occurred in the practice of Surgeon Younghusband : 

"On the morning of the 3d of January, 1850, I was sent for, 
in great haste, to attend a cow that three days before had calved, 
and, apparently, up to this time, had done well ; but on that 
morning, on the cow-keeper attending as usual, he found the cow 
down, and the whole of the uterus protruding through the vagina. 
On my arrival, I found her as described, with the uterus in a most 
loathsome state, from being suffered to remain unprotected among 



PARTURITION. Ill 

the clung and urine of the cow-house, and also the placental mem- 
branes adherent. Plenty of assistance being at hand, we had her 
up, well-raised her hind parts, and in that position secured her, so 
that she could not well slip down again. Having carefully de- 
tached the placenta, I next proceeded to cleanse the parts by 
washing them with a mixture of weak spirit and water. Hav- 
ing accomplished this, I proceeded to return the part; but, on 
minutely examining that viscus, before attempting its replace- 
ment, I discovered in it a large rent, through which I easily in- 
troduced my hand ; and, for the better satisfaction of the owner, 
I caused one of the bystanders to do the same, to show them that 
it was not through any mismanagement of mine that this unto- 
ward accident had taken place; for, in my belief, another cow 
had trod upon it while she was down, and thus done the mischief. 
After this, I effected its return without much difficulty. Judging 
that I had got all the part into a right position, etc., I made an 
attempt to withdraw my arm ; but, in doing this, the cow imme- 
diately began to strain with such violence that it was not without 
the greatest difficulty that I could retain the part in statu quo. 
But, by a fortunate slip, her anterior parts were brought so near 
the ground that I now easily accomplished that which, for a length 
of time, I had found the greatest difficulty in attempting to do ; 
namely, getting the part into a right position, retaining it there, 
and withdrawing my arm without difficulty. The cow now 
straining very little or none, I applied the usual means of pre- 
vention, gave an anodyne, had her set up from the awkward 
position into which she had got, and waited to see the result. I 
retreated for a short time, leaving a watch, in case any thing 
untoward should again take place. On my return, I found her 
still up, attended with no bad symptoms, very little straining, 
and appearing to be more comfortable than her situation would 
warrant. She was now offered a little food, of which she seemed 
to partake freely. Still, I warned the owner of the danger, and 
told him I had not the slightest hope of her recovery. To be 
brief, from that time she had a little fever medicine occasionally, 
and I paid her a few visits, still finding her apparently improv- 
ing, and on my last visit, on the 10th, found her in so favorable 
a situation that I told the owner that, being at a great distance, 
unless I heard more from him, I would discontinue my attend- 
ance ; nor had I more occasion to repeat them. The cow did well, 



112 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

and has since had two more calves, without needing any of my 
assistance. 

The second case was that of a cow belonging to Mr. T. Monk- 
house, of Moredale, in my neighborhood, which calved appar- 
ently with the greatest ease, showing no signs of particular 
uneasiness; but, on paying her a visit, he found her with the 
uterus protruded and the placenta attached. They immediately 
secured the part, so as it might receive little or no injury from 
the contact of foreign bodies. In the mean time, a messenger 
was dispatched for me. Being at home, I was not long in being 
at my post. After having her put in a position which I con- 
sidered favorable, I proceeded to detach the placenta, which was 
easily done, and the part being free from dirt, was soon ready for 
returning, which, from the dilated state of the parts of genera- 
tion, w T as, of all cases I ever had, the most easily accomplished. 
But mark the sequel. When I imagined I had made all right, 
the cow, appearing to suffer very little from the effects of the op- 
eration, was let up from her situation, and I had withdrawn my 
arm, when, behold, a portion of the small intestine made its ap- 
pearance through the vulva! Judge of my consternation now, 
having no cause to fear such an untoward act. I told the owner 
how the case stood, and frankly confessed my ignorance of its 
cause. I now proceeded to find out the rent in the uterus, which 
I soon did, it being in its posterior part, and, without much diffi- 
culty, got the intestine' returned. My next aim was to cause as 
much contraction of the uterus as I could, so as to bring the 
divided edges of the organ together. This I did by the appli- 
cation of camphorated tincture of opium, and which, I am proud 
to say, soon gave me the required satisfaction — so much so, in- 
deed, that before I withdrew my arm the laceration was scarcely 
distinguishable to the touch. The cow T , in this case, appearing in 
so easy a state, no truss was applied the first night, but a person 
stayed with her, if possible to prevent future ills. Now, I must 
say, of all cows, this one has gone on most favorably. To give a 
description of her treatment would be a waste of timcand paper, 
since as to the medical treatment it amounted almost to nothing. 
Careful nursing, with a few solitary doses of medicine, constituted 
the whole." 



SECTION VI. 

DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 

Mammitis — Stricture in Cows' Teats — Obstruction at the end of the Teats — 
Obstruction in the Teats — Tumors in the Teats — Injuries to the Teats — • 
Sore Teats — Chapped Teats and Chafed Udder — Inversion of the Vagina 
— Laceration of the Vagina — Abortion — Inflammatory Affections of the 
Hind Limbs after Calving. 



Mammitis. 

MAMMITIS signifies inflammation of the udder. It usually 
consists of tumefaction, attended with heat and pain, and 
generally sets in shortly after calving. The treatment of this af- 
fection should be antiphlogistic. Let the animal have a full dose 
of Glauber salts, and apply a refrigerating lotion to the udder 
(cold water will answer), in view of reducing the temperature of 
the same. In this state of the udder scarcely any milk flows, and 
what comes is often bloody. Soon an entire obstruction takes 
place, or nothing but a watery secretion can be got away. Next, 
the udder hardens in places, abscesses form, and then the secretory 
function of one or more quarters is destroyed. The animal now 
has the " garget," and ten chances to one if the part or parts are 
ever restored. The only Avay to prevent garget is to let the calf 
suck immediately after it is born, or else introduce a tube into one 
or more of the teats, and thus evacuate the milk ere it coagulates. 
Symptoms. — The disease, at its commencement, invariably con- 
sists of an inflamed condition of the mamma, or "bag," character- 
ized by pain, heat, swelling, and more or less febrile symptoms. 
It is precisely the same disease which many nursing women are 
prone to and suffer from, and its terminations, when not arrested 
in the early stage, are exactly the same ; namely, suppuration, form- 
ation of an abscess, induration, or hardening of the walls of the- 
8 (113) 



114 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

bag. In the human female the suppurative stage is known to 
nurses as "broken breast;" and the state of induration or harden- 
ing which follows, or may exist independent of an abscess, is com- 
monly called " caked" breast; hence the term caked udder. Such 
is the character of this disease as it occurs among cows in the 
United States. In Europe it occasionally assumes a more malig- 
nant form, and it often becomes necessary to extirpate the whole 
gland. 

Treatment. — The disease should be attended to in its early stage, 
and the milk must be evacuated, so that it shall not accumulate 
nor coagulate. In order to do this, a metallic tube may be inserted 
into the teat, and allowed to remain there, so that the milk shall 
flow as fast as it is secreted. The inflamed part must be bathed 
with cold w T ater several times during the day, to which add a few 
drops of tincture of arnica, and, if the part be very painful, an in- 
fusion of hops may be used. Afterward anoint the parts with a 
small quantity of glycerine. The animal must be kept on a very 
light diet (scalded shorts are good) ; and if she be fat, or the least 
constipation of bowels exist, I should give one pound of Epsom 
salts, dissolved in warm water, to which may be added a small 
quantity of molasses and a tea-spoonful of ginger. 

Supposing the case to be in the suppurative stage, and it is evi- 
dent that pus or " matter " is forming within the " bag," or its 
walls, it may be poulticed with flaxseed, or rubbed twice daily 
with some stimulating liniment — say linseed oil, two ounces; 
spirits of hartshorn, one drachm. So soon as the matter burrows, 
to the surface, and a soft spot can be detected, it should have a 
free opening made into it, by means of a thumb-lancet. The 
matter must then be squeezed out, and into the cavity syringe 
some salt and water, or a little tincture of aloes. In the suppu - 
rative stage I generally order a generous diet. 

In the indurated stage, the treatment consists in exciting ab 
sorption of the parts ; and in this view I recommend iodide of 
potassium, known as " hydriodate of potassa." It is one of the 
most efficient remedies for the absorption of abnormal growths 
that I have ever used, and it is highly recommended in our text- 
books by men well acquainted with its modus operandi. The dose 
of hydriodate of potassa is twenty grains per day, to be pulverized 
and dissolved in water. Being inodorous and almost tasteless, 
there is no trouble about the patient drinking it The medicin 



DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 115 

ua) foe continued until the enlargement disappears, when the 
dose may be gradually lessened. If I were called upon to treat 
a chronic case of long standing, I should, in addition to the above, 
besmear the parts daily with a portion of the following : 

Iodide of potassium 1 dr. 

Glycerine 7 dr. 

Mix. 



Stricture in Cows' Teats. 

I was lately consulted in reference to the case of a very valu- 
able imported cow, that had obstruction in the off posterior teat. 
She had given birth, about a week previous, to twin calves. The 
obstruction appeared to be located about half way up the teat. I 
fomented the parts with an infusion of lobelia, after which the 
tube was easily introduced. 

Obstruction at the Ends of the Teats. 

It occasionally happens that a fungous or warty excrescence 
makes its appearance at the end and center of the teat, which ob- 
structs the flow of milk, and is very annoying and painful to the 
animal. This should be removed by the scalpel, taking care to 
dissect away every portion of the morbid growth. The part is 
then to be sprinkled with powdered bloodroot, in order to prevent 
union of the edges of the outlet of the teat. The milk-tube, well- 
oiled, must now and then be introduced. 

Obstruction in the Teats. 

A simple obstruction in the teats is frequently occasioned by 
imperfect union in the lining membrane. 

Treatment. — -This is easily remedied by introducing a tube con- 
structed for the purpose, which should be well lubricated with 
olive oil, and allowed to remain in the lactiferous channel for 
several hours daily, or until all danger of readhesion has passed 
away. The lactiferous outlet is sometimes obstructed by false 
membranes running across its channel. These must be annihi- 
lated by the introduction of the tube. 



116 dadd's vetemnaky medicine and surgery. 

Tumors in the Teats. 

Tumors are occasionally found in the teats. Their presence 
is determined by bulbous enlargement, which, on manipulation, 
appear very evident. 

Treatment. — The method of operation in such cases is to intro- 
duce a tube, well smeared with iodine ointment, and repeat the 
operation, two or three times daily, until the milk passes freely. 

Injuries to the Teats. 

I have met with several cases of injury to the teats in the form 
of an incision, which occurred accidentally on the animal rising 
from the ground, cutting or lacerating the same with its own hoofs. 

Treatment. — When the accident is discovered shortly after it 
happens, the parts may be brought together by uninterrupted 
suture. The seam is then coated with collodion, and the milk 
must be evacuated wholly by the tube until the parts have united. 
Sometimes the union is not complete, but a small fistulous opening 
is left, through which the milk is constantly dribbling. The only 
way to remedy this is to convert the fistula into a simple flesh- 
wound. This is done by means of a sharp-pointed knife, which 
removes the thin callus forming the interior of the fistula. The 
raw edges are then to be brought together by suture, and collo- 
dion and the tube used, as before. 

Sore Teats. 

Treatment. — First, wash with warm water and castile soap ; then 
lubricate the parts with equal portions of lime-water and linseed 
oil. 

Chapped Teats and Chafed Udder. 

Treatment. — Foment the parts daily with an infusion of chamo- 
mile flowers for at least fifteen minutes at a time ; then wipe dry, 
and use* the lime liniment. These temporary, or what might, 
with more propriety, be termed local maladies, will, if the system 
be free from morbid matter, generally yield to local remedies. If, 
however, no change for the better can be observed, the following 
aperient should be given : 



DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 117 

Fluid extract of golden seal. .... 3 dr. 

Powdered mandrake.. .......... -| oz. 

Powdered giuger 1 tea-spoonful. 

Dissolve in warm water, one quart, and drench the animal with 
the same. In the event of the above remedies failing to give relief, 
anoint the parts twice daily with a compound composed of glyce- 
rine., four ounces, and fine elm flour enough to form a thin paste. 



Inversion of the Vagina. 

Inversion of the vagina generally occurs in the latter months 
of pregnancy, at a time when the digestive organs are somewhat 
impaired, either actually or sympathetically. In either condition 
the food is very apt to be imperfectly remasticated, and ferments. 
This gives rise to the formation of gas within the alimentary canal, 
and occasions tumefaction of the compartments of the stomach and 
large intestines. In this state they take up more room than can 
be spared for their occupancy; hence the pressure in a posterior 
direction, which forces the vagina out of its location. 

Treatment. — When this difficulty occurs in a cow on the eve of 
parturition, there will be some danger of inversion of the uterus, 
unless the reduction is effected before delivery ; therefore I should 
endeavor to make room in the abdominal cavity, by putting a stop 
to the fermentation which is going on in the stomach. In this 
view, I recommend that the animal have the following drench : 

Hyposulphite of soda 1 oz. 

Powdered golden seal 4 dr. 

Water 1 qt. 

Mix. 

Having administered this drench, procure a soft sponge, and 
foment the part (if it be much inflamed and painful) with a tepid 
infusion of hops. If the inversion be of recent origin, and not 
much congested, cold water may be used instead. After awhile 
pressure and manipulation may accomplish the reduction ; yet it 
is apt- to reappear, and continue to do so until the animal has got 
rid of her burden. The reduction, however, must be effected, if 
possible, every time the protrusion makes its appearance, or the 
cow will suffer from retention of urine. 

It is very evident to me that very many cases of inversion of 
the vagina are caused by indigestion ; therefore great care should 



118 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

be exercised in the feeding of cows during the last months of 
pregnancy. 

Laceration of the Vagina. 

This is an accident of very frequent occurrence among cows, yet 
seldom proves fatal. It often occurs from the rough manner, 
sometimes practiced, of bringing the feet forward ; therefore great 
care is necessary in conducting an artificial labor to a successful 
termination. 

The following case of extensive laceration of the vagina of the 
cow, given by the " London Veterinarian," goes to show the po- 
tency of Nature in the cure of disease and injuries : 

" Mr. J. W. Maw, veterinary student, has sent us the following 
particulars relating to a case of willful laceration of the vagina, 
and contiguous parts of a cow : ' Mr. Crosby, who is in practice 
at Thornton Pickering, Yorkshire, as a veterinary surgeon, was 
called, a short time ago, to attend a milch cow which presented 
symptoms of colic. On his visiting her, he observed a piece of 
stick, about three inches long, protruding from the vagina, and, 
on removing it, he found that it was about a yard in length, and 
had been thrust through the vagina, and likewise the rectum, into 
the abdomen. Previous to its removal the cow did not evince 
such symptoms as one would have been led to expect in an animal 
suffering from such a severe injury. There was but little external 
hemorrhage, the symptoms, upon the whole, rather indicating that 
internal hemorrhage was going on. Anodynes were administered, 
and quietude enjoined. No inflammatory symptoms supervened, 
and, in the course of ten days or a fortnight, the animal had re- 
covered. The atrocious act is supposed to have been perpetrated 
by some gypsies, who were located near the place at the time, from 
their going, in the following morning, to beg the carcass, thinking, 
probably, that the poor animal was dead.' " 

Abortion in Cows. 

The cow is the most liable of all domestic animals to abortion, 
and those that have once been the subjects of this mishap are lia- 
ble to a recurrence of the same. Mr. Youatt, in his work on 
cattle, furnishes some very useful information on this subject ; still, 
the direct causes of abortion are, like many other enzootic and epi- 



DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 119 

zootic affections, involved in obscurity. That it occasionally rages 
as an enzootic pest, is clearly shown by the records of the past, and 
by what occurred, a short time ago, among the dairy cows of a 
milking establishment at Concord, N. H., without mentioning 
other cases, which of late have been chronicled in our agricultural 
periodicals. 

It occasionally appears as an insolated evil. An Alderney cow, 
the property of Mr. Burnet, of Southboro, has, in the course of 
three years, aborted four times. At the time of writing this arti- 
cle my attention was called to her. I recommended that she should 
be spayed ; the owner consented, and, of course, she thereafter be- 
came a more useful animal in supporting other offspring than her 
own. I call this an isolated case, because Mr. Burnet informed 
me that his other cows had not aborted. She inherits a tendency 
to abort. 

A theory has been broached by some writer that severe winters, 
succeeded by warm springs, hilly pasturage, the practice of allow- 
ing young stock and one and two-year old bulls to run with the 
breeding cows is likely to end in abortion. This is sheer non- 
sense, and is not entitled to the least consideration; and, relying 
on the intelligence of my readers, I refrain from offering any ar- 
gument in view of controverting evident absurdities. The fact is, 
some cows will abort, no matter what may be the nature of the 
pasturage or condition of the atmosphere ; and so will women mis- 
carry occasionally, in spite of their own precautions and the advice 
of their physicians to prevent it. It is evident, therefore, that 
there exists in the animal economy of some subjects peculiarities 
of constitution termed idiocyncrasies, which, under certain circum- 
stances, and on the application of the cause, (indirect,) develop the 
latent pathological fire, and thus they abort. 

When abortion prevails among a whole herd of cows on one 
man's farm, I should consider it as an enzootic, arising sponta- 
neously, and afterward propagated by infection or by sympathetic 
influence. Youatt gives a quotation which favors these views : 
" In the Leipsic ' Agricultural Gazette,' it is stated that, ' by an 
unheard-of fatality, the abortion of cows in that district was almost 
general, and that, after the most anxious search, no assignable 
cause for it could be discovered, nor would any medicine or medi- 
eal treatment arrest the plague.' " 

I shall now, in a brief manner, throw out a few hints for the 



120 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

consideration of dairymen and breed ers, in view of the adoption 
of preventive measures ; for, since neither " medicine nor medical 
treatment" can arrest the plague, our only hopes of stopping abor- 
tions, which in this country are alarmingly on the increase, lies in 
the practice of preventive measures. 

A very objectionable, and I may add, ruinous, practice prevails 
at some milking establishments, of keeping the cows impregnated 
all the time. The mother no sooner gets through the pains and 
perils of parturition than she is again, ofttimes, compelled to sub- 
mit to a re-impregnation. This is what I call an excessive use of 
the reproductive organs, which must eventually impair their integ- 
rity. It is well known to all physiologists, and I presume that 
the reader must have some knowledge of the facts, that the uterine 
organs, like those of digestion and respiration, can be overtaxed • 
and disease, in some form or other, is very apt to occur in over- 
worked organs. If actual disease does not set in, debility of func- 
tion or organ must eventually ensue. The uterus, like various 
other organs of the animal economy, must have periods of rest, or 
the day of reckoning will surely arrive. An excessive use of the 
reproductive organs generally, if not always, impairs the integrity 
of the nutritive organs, and vice versa ; hence, if a cow is kept 
pregnant all the time for the unwise purpose of making her yield 
a constant supply of milk, it should not appear strange if she fal] 
oif in the quantity of milk, appear unthrifty, be off her feed, and 
have a glairy discharge from the vagina. These are the symp- 
toms which usually precede abortion. 

I lately visited an imported cow, the property of a gentleman 
in Illinois, who informed me that she had aborted three times at 
about the seventh month of her pregnancy, and she was generally 
put to the bull shortly after the mishap. I told him that this bad 
practice was the sole predisposing cause of the trouble; for the 
short space of time which occurred between the premature expul- 
sion of the foetus and re-impregnation was not sufficient for the 
entire recovery of tone in the sexual organs; hence, so long as 
this practice continued, his cow would never go her full time. I 
strongly urge the necessity of spaying such an animal. She ought, 
at least, to be separated from the breeding cows, and her foetal calf, 
membranes, and placenta should be burned in the open air, for 
there is no safety in burying them a few inches under the earth's 
surface. 



DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 121 

It is very probable that many cases of abortion occur tnrough a 
deranged condition of the digestive organs; therefore the means 
most likely to prove effectual in keeping the stomach in a healthy 
state should be adopted. What an immense amount of labor 
the digestive organs have to perform ! They have to be almost 
constantly engaged in converting the elements of good and bad 
food into chyme and chyle; and they must not slacken much, else 
where are sixteen quarts, more or less, per day of milk to come 
from ? How is the foetus in utero to be nourished, and the wear 
and tear of the cow's organism to be provided for, when the 
stomach is not in working order ? 

The practice of milking cows to within a short period of par- 
turition is highly injurious, yet some persons with whom I have 
had conversations on this subject contend that, in some cases, it is 
impossible to " dry the cow." I advised them to reduce the ani- 
mal's food to less than one-half, or even one-fourth, if necessary ; 
in fact, there would be no harm in withholding food altogether for 
a short time, and in substituting for food a dose or two of aperient 
medicine. This course must necessarily soon lessen the amount 
of blood in the system, and as the milk is concocted from the blood, 
it will decrease in the same ratio, or, rather, be essentially lessened ; 
and in view of reducing the quantity of milk, I also urge the 
necessity of keeping the cow on a small quantity of water. This 
practice may not, on all occasions succeed in arresting the lacteal 
secretion, still it is the only rational way of accomplishing the 
object. 

Abortion is sometimes attributed to a debilitated state of the 
animal. This also arises from a derangement of the stomach. 
Then an opposite mode of treatment must be pursued, such as a 
change of food to that of a more nutritious character, and the fre- 
quent administration of small doses of ginger and golden seal. 

Breeding cows require a great deal of care and some watching. 
Careful selection of the right kind of food for the necessary wants 
of the animal and her foetus in utero is indispensable. Neither 
the one nor the other can be expected to enjoy good health on a 
diet of slops, swill, brewer's grains, corn-stalks, rotten potatoes, 
frozen turnips, damaged meal, musty hay, or sour apples, etc. 
Care is also requisite in providing for the animal's wants in re- 
gard to "watering." This is a subject of great importance, yet 
very few husbandmen give it that attention which its importance 



122 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

demands. The horrible stagnated stuff found in some pastures 
and water-troughs, which the thirsty creatures are compelled, from 
sheer necessity, to imbibe, is surely operative in producing very 
many unnecessary diseases, derangements, and abortions. 

Some watching is necessary. A cow likely to abort is gener- 
ally " off her feed," does not ruminate according to her accustomed 
activity ; she fails to yield the daily quantum of milk ; her condi- 
tion is noticed to be unthrifty, and, on inspecting the vagina, it 
is observed to be the seat of a glairy discharge. Such an animal 
should be immediately isolated from the rest of the herd, and 
proceeded with as above directed. It is said that a very common 
cause of abortion is sympathetic influence. 

There is another matter of some importance to be considered in 
view of prevention? I allude to breeding. It is my opinion 
that thousands of the abortions which occur among our domes- 
ticated animals of this country are for the benefit of the several 
races present and to follow ; for if the offspring of cows whose 
systems have been debilitated by a too early use of the sexual 
organs, and those of other parents, laboring under organic disease, 
malformation, and stunted growth, together with the apology of 
offspring of cows doomed to drag out a miserable existence in 
some horrible " swill-milk establishment," where death runs riot, 
or runs into the milk-pail, to kill off unnursed infants, these being 
permitted to come into the world with their inherited imperfec- 
tions, and being suffered to grow up and become parents, issuing 
a worse edition than the original copy in turn — these bad speci- 
mens, not of Nature's handiwork, but of man's ignorance and 
folly, or willful transgression of the law of Nature, being permit- 
ted to live, they would be so many libels on creative power ; and, 
in order to remove them from the face of the earth, and put a 
check on the monstrous evil, a friendly pestilence must eventually 
ensue. This would be a mournful event ; for many valuable ani- 
mals might, by infection or contagion, be involved in the general 
ruin ; therefore Nature adopts the lesser evil, and applies the law 
of destruction prior to the birth of monstrosity. 

The laws of reproduction and destruction are nicely and wisely 
balanced. " Thus far shalt thou go, and no further." The off- 
spring of weak, emaciated, ill-formed, scrofulous, consumptive, 
and otherwise defective animals, should never be used for breed- 
ing purposes ; in fact, they are not even fit for the butcher. 



DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 123 

Finally, I would advise breeders to let the female get her 
growth ere she is forced into copulation ; for prior to maturity 
all the energies of her system are concentrated upon the perfection 
and integrity of her organism, and, until that important period 
arrives, the reproductive system can not be exercised without 
running great risk of violating one of the fundamental laws of 
Nature. 

I have now directed the reader's attention to most of the causes 
likely to influence or induce abortion, and I leave the rest, if any 
there be, to be discovered by their own experience. It is impos- 
sible for me to furnish definite instructions as regards the treat- 
ment of individual cases, either prior or subsequent to abortion, as 
each require a certain course, according to the condition and pre- 
vailing symptoms ; yet, if I have succeeded in pointing out only 
a few of the errors which prevail in our present faulty system of 
breeding and management, and have been practical enough to 
secure the reader's attention in a perusal of this article, I have 
accomplished more than I expected at the time of its composition. 

Inflammatory Affection of the Hind Limbs after 

Calving. 

Some cows, after calving, suifer from an inflammatory affection 
of the hind limbs, which renders them lame, or they are unable 
to use the parts with that promptitude which characterizes the 
physiological condition or state of health. The limbs are gener- 
ally hot, and, in certain localities, are swollen, and the general 
health of the animal seems to be impaired, yet there is no great 
danger attending the condition. The tumefaction appears to con- 
sist of a local eifusion (dropsy) of serum into the cellular tissue, 
which readily disappears through the local application of cold water, 
and the action of the calf on the teats. 

The attention of veterinarians has been directed to this affec- 
tion by Lecout drier, in the following paragraph, translated by 
Mr. Gamgee : 

"A few days after parturition, and always when it has been 
normal, a difficulty in the movements of the hind-quarters is to 
be observed. The hocks become sensitive ; the anterior surface 
swells up ; the synovial capsule is disturbed ; great pain is felt at 
the slightest touch, accompanied with heat. Then the appetite 



124 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

is lost ; the secretion of milk diminished ; pulse quick and strong j 
and a certain amount of fever sets in. The patient can not lie 
down, and still is not safe on its legs. The writer never saw 
the affection but on recently-calved cows; never after the ninth 
day, and almost always from the fourth to the seventh. This 
disease affects generally the good mother, and is of a most be- 
nignant nature. A friction of turpentine and alcohol is sufficient 
to restore to health in most cases; otherwise, brandy and soap. 
When the fever is strong, a dose of niter, with digitalis, is useful. 
This disturbance is always of a benignant nature, and is coinci- 
dent with parturition, as the parturient fever, and a serous diarrhea, 
which occurs from the second to the third day after calving, easily 
checked, and never lasting more than twenty-four hours." 

Treatment. — My treatment is as follows : Give the patient a 
drachm, three times per day, of fluid extract of gelseminum, and 
bathe the limb with a cold infusion of hops, just so long as in- 
flammation and fever exist. Then prepare the following : 

Fluid extract of buchu 8 oz. 

Chlorate of potass 2 oz. 

Water 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Dose, a wine-glassful night and morning. Rub the limbs with 
a portion of the following : 

Fluid extract of wormwood 3 oz. 

Proof spirit 1 pt. 




SECTION VII. 

DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

Description of the Urinary System — The Ureters — The Bladder — Thb 
Urethra — Hematuria — Inflammation of the Kidneys — Urinary Cal- 
culi — Calculi in the Bladder — Black Water — Red Water. 



Description of the Urinary System. 

THE primary organs of the urinary system are the kidneys, 
two ovoid conglomerate bodies, of a purple color, located in 
the lumbar region, or loins, separated from each other by the in- 
ferior part of the spinal column. They are generally imbedded 
in adipose tissue denominated suet. The kidneys are the great 
emunctories of the body, are constantly engaged in secreting waste 
and morbid fluids from the blood, and we find them much larger 
in cattle than in horses. When the function of any other excre- 
tory organ is impaired, an extra amount of work is in store for 
them to perforin. In health their function never ceases — a con- 
stant secretion of urine is going on all the time. Whether the 
animal be awake or asleep it matters not, there is no rest for the 
kidneys. On cutting through the kidneys, it is found to be com- 
posed of two substances, termed cortical and medullary. 

The kidneys are supplied with blood by the emulgent arteries. 
They are of large caliber, and furnish a large quantity of blood 
from which the urine is secreted. Within the center of each kid- 
ney is a receptacle known as the pelvis, which terminates in a 
funnel-shaped outlet, the commencement of the ureter. The 
emulgent arteries, which supply the kidneys with arterial blood, 
are derived from the posterior aorta. They subdivide and ramify 
into the substance of the gland, and end in a very complex net- 
work. The emulgent veins are much larger than the arteries. 
They accompany the latter, and, finally, converge into one trunk, 

: . (125) 



128 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

and terminate in the posterior vena cava. The nerves of the 
kidneys are derived from the renal plexus. 

The Ureters. 

Each kidney is connected with the bladder by a common duct 
or tube, known as the ureter. These ducts are much stronger 
and larger than those found in the horse. They are composed of 
two tunics. The external one is both fibrous and muscular in a 
longitudinal direction, which permits it to contract and extend in 
exact ratio as the bladder contracts when empty, and expands 
when filled. The internal membrane is of mucous texture, and 
is constantly lubricated with a mucous secretion, which defends it 
against the irritating qualities of the urine. 

The Bladder. 

The bladder of an ox is much larger than that of the horse. It 
is a musculo-membranous sac, or bag, and is located within the 
pelvis, bounded above by the rectum, and below by the internal 
surface of the pubic bones. In the cow we find the bladder 
located between the rectum and the uterine organs. The bladder 
has a transverse ligament inserted into the lateral parts of the 
pelvis. It has three coats. One is derived from the peritoneum, 
or lining membrane of the abdominal cavity, which gives the 
bladder an external covering. The middle coat of the bladder is 
composed of muscular fibers, which run in longitudinal and cii • 
cular directions. The internal membrane, or coat, is more highly 
organized than the others. It is furnished with excretory out- 
lets, from which issues a mucous secretion for its own protection. 

The bladder is divided into fundus, body, and cervix. The 
fundus is that prominent part which faces anteriorly, or toward 
the intestines, and when the bladder is full of urine, it protrudes 
into the abdominal cavity. The body is the bulky or capacious 
part, generally more rounded, when full, than in the horse's 
bladder. The cervix is the neck, or contracted part of the blad- 
der. It is surrounded by muscular fibers that involuntarily con- 
tract, so as to close the passage, except in the act of urinating. 
Some anatomists consider this muscle as a distinct one in the 
horse, and have given to it the name of sphincter ; but in oxen it 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 127 

does not seem to be a distinct muscle, neither does it contract with 
that force or persistency which is known to occur in the case of a 
horse. 

The Urethra. 

The urethra arises from the neck of the bladder, and extends 
from it to the end of the penis. It is much smaller in caliber 
than in the horse. It affords a passage for the urine and seminal 
fluid. Interiorly it is composed of mucous membrane, which is a 
prolongation of that found within the bladder. 

HEMATURIA. 

Hematuria signifies voiding of blood with the urine. In 
cattle-raising districts, this disease, or rather the symptoms of 
one, is generally known by the term " red water," although a very 
marked difference exists between hematuria and mere discolor- 
ation or reddened appearance of the urine ; for in the former case 
blood globules are invariably present, and their presence can be 
determined by procuring a sample of the urine. After letting it 
stand for a short time, the blood coagulee may be detected by the 
naked eye, at the bottom of the vessel in which the urine is 
caught. 

Causes — Its Character" and Symptoms. — The voiding of blood 
with the urine is generally supposed to be occasioned by some vio- 
lence, such as local injury in the lumbar region, calculi within the 
ureters or the bladder; from local hemorrhage, occasioned by con- 
gestion, or inflammation of some portion of the urinary organs. 
Congestion is apt to occur in overfed animals, and, perhaps, is 
an effort of Nature to phlebotomize the subject and reduce the 
amount of circulating fluid, and thus lessen the liability to accu- 
mulate adipose tissue. If such be the case (the patient being in 
a state of plethora), no immediate danger is to be apprehended. 
Especially is this the case when the hemorrhage is merely passive, 
unaccompanied by symptoms of pain either at the time or between 
the periods of urinating. A case of this character might very 
properly be termed congestive hematuria, and may be treated on 
the same principles which prevail in the practice of intelligent 
physicians in the management of other local congestions. Ne- 
phritis (inflammation of the kidneys) may occasion hsematuria, 



128 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

and is almost always accompanied by sure and unmistakable 
symptoms; namely, those of pain and irritation, either in the act 
or else before or after urinating. It may be difficult to deter- 
mine what is the exciting cause of this inflammatory condition. 
It may be purely idiopathic, or may arise from the irritation 
consequent on the passage of urinary calculi through the parts 
involved; and, notwithstanding there are certain diagnostic symp- 
toms attending both varieties, still the medical attendant (who 
has just seen the case for the first time,) may find it hazardous to 
venture an opinion on its exact pathology ; yet he shall not be at 
fault in treating the case as a local inflammatory affection. If it 
can be shown that the animal has been dosed with strong diuret- 
ics, and no hemorrhage had existed prior to their administration, 
but is now quite profuse, we may safely conclude that the hemor- 
rhage is occasioned by the local stimulus. It may, therefore, be 
laid down, as a general rule, that all cases of hematuria, attended 
with symptoms of pain, are occasioned by the irritation of some 
foreign body acting on some part of the secretory surface of the 
urinary apparatus, or else is the result of some external violence ; 
and it is the business of the person who prescribes to carefully 
consider these matters, in view of forming a correct diagnosis. 

Hematuria does occasionally occur in nursing women of a pleth- 
oric diathesis. At the period of weaning the infant, the woman 
notices, on urinating, that the fluid is tinged with blood; but, as 
the act is unaccompanied by pain, and nothing of the kind being 
felt in the region of the kidneys, she feels no alarm about it, and 
scarcely if ever consults a medical man on the subject. In the 
course of a few days, all things being favorable, the urine assumes 
its natural appearance ; therefore, if ha3maturia shall appear in a 
cow at the period of " drying her up," as the saying is, or if a cow 
shall be observed to pass blood in the urine at the time of wean- 
ing the calf, and neither one nor the other manifest any discern- 
ible symptoms of pain, nor any perceivable manifestations of 
derangement in the vital functions, there will be no necessity to 
resort to any very active mode of medication, and an intelligent; 
physician would merely recommend a mild laxative, light diet, 
and a little nursing. A few doses of liquor acetate ammonia 
might be indicated as a febrifuge. This may be given from a 
oottle. 

Treatment. — Should the owner of the animal be unable to obtain 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 120 

the services of a professional man, let him prepare some flax- 
seed tea (a quart) ; then add half an ounce of powdered blood- 
root ; after which let the animal have six drachms of tincture of 
matico, diluted in a small quantity of water, night and morning. 
Should the disease be traced to the presence of urinary calculi, a 
lithontriptic will be indicated, which is prepared as follows : 

Muriate acid 1 oz. 

Water 1 pt. 

Fluid extract of hops 1 oz. 

Dose, half the above quantity, night and morning. 

Inflammation of the Kidneys. 

Symptoms. — Cattle affected with inflammation of the kidneys 
will be observed to have some slight roaching of the back; that 
is to say, instead of the back or spinal column being straight or 
slightly concave, as it ought to be, it now presents a convexity, 
or, in other words, is arched in an upward or superior direction. 
The arching of the back is occasioned by tonic spasms of the psoas 
and iliac muscles, located above the kidneys in the lumbar region. 
These muscles are known to butchers as "tenderloin." On 
making pressure over the region of the kidneys, the animal will 
be observed to flinch, the parts appearing very tender and hot. 
The animal is generally dull; the muzzle, dry; a chilliness of the 
horns and external surface is observed, showing very clearly that 
there is a.n unequal circulation of the blood. There is, generally, 
some difficulty in passing the urine ; the animal strains in the act 
of passing it, and it is redder than usual. The symptoms vary as 
the disease progresses, but the above are the principal ones on 
which the diagnosis must be founded. 

Treatment. — Drench the animal with twelve ounces of Glauber 
salts, dissolved in a quart of warm water ; then apply warm-water 
bandages to the region of the loins, which may be retained in their 
place by encircling the body with a bandage. An emollient clys- 
ter of slippery elm should occasionally be thrown into the rectum,. 
and the patient should be drenched with four ounces of the liquor 
acetate of ammonia every six hours, until an improvement takes 
place. Then give tincture of matico, in half-ounce doses, night 
and morning, until the patient is better. 
9 



130 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Urinary Calculi. 

Cattle are occasionally the subjects of urinary calculi, yet there 
are not many cases of the kind on record ; and, during a practice 
of twenty-five years, the author has never been called upon to 
prescribe for nor treat a case of this character. This testimony 
is diametrically opposed to that of You att and others. Youatt 
contends that " concretions are oftener found in the urinary pas- 
sages of cattle than of the horse." This is not in accordance with 
the experience of American husbandmen. In England, however, 
cattle may inherit some peculiarity of constitution which causes a 
tendency to the formation of concretion ; or perhaps the water they 
drink may be impregnated with alkalies, so as to induce an alka- 
line diathesis. Urinary calculi are generally composed of carbo- 
nate and phosphate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, and some 
animal matter. 

Treatment. — Should calculi be present in either the kindeys or 
ureters they are sure to occasion some degree of pain. The urine 
will be reddened, and sometimes blood corpuscles can be detected 
in the same. After awhile some muco-purulent fluid will be dis- 
charged with the urine. In this stage, it might be advisable to 
give the animal one ounce of acetic acid, in sixteen ounces of 
water, per day, to be continued a week or so. Should the general 
health be impaired, let the animal have a few doses of the follow- 
ing: 

Fluid extract of hops 2 oz. 

Hyposulphite of soda -| oz. 

Water 1 piut. 

Mix. 

Calculi in the Bladder. 

A stone once having formed in the bladder will defy all our 
attempts to dissolve or decompose it ; yet if any one wishes to try 
the experiment, they can resort to the use of muriatic acid, suffi- 
ciently diluted with water to render it harmless to the animal tis- 
sues with which it may come in contact. The stone can, however, 
be removed by the operation of lithotomy, which will require the 
services of a skillful surgeon. In such a case the owner may pos- 
sibly decide upon slaughtering the animal. Perhaps this is the 
best thing he can do. 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 131 

Symptoms. — -There are various symptoms of deranged health 
which often attend stone in the bladder; yet, as they frequently 
accompany other diseases, and throw no special light on this, I 
shall take no notice of them, but offer something brief, yet more 
reliable. The presence of a stone in the bladder will generally 
occasion some interruption to that free and uniform flow of urine 
which take? place in a healthy animal without any symptoms of 
stone in the bladder ; consequently if, in the act of urination, the 
flow of fluid is suddenly stopped, to commence again a few mo- 
ments afterward, at the same moment a slight trembling of the 
hind limbs is observed, and the animal strains ineifectually to 
urinate, only passing a few drops, and this state of things has ex- 
isted for some time, it may be inferred that a stone is present in 
the bladder, and if so, the animal had better be slaughtered. 

Black Water. 

A discharge from the urethral outlet of fluid quite black in 
color very frequently indicates a grave form of disease existing in 
the liver. Should black-colored matter be detected in the urine, 
the probabilities are that the animal will die ; for the disease which 
gives rise to the abnormal discharge is probably organic. 

Symptoms. — In some cases black water is occasioned by engorge- 
ment of the liver, spleen, or kidneys, and when an animal dies of 
these engorgements, we find the capillary veins much distended ; 
and these engorgements frequently occur, also, in many of the dis- 
eases of an epizootic or malignant character. Such condition or 
congestion is owing to a loss of equilibrium in the circulation. 
The arteries are very impressible to excitation, and hold out their 
physiological actions the longest. The veins being more distensi- 
ble than arteries, the blood is forced into the venous radicles faster 
than they can absorb it ; hence the free egress of blood is retarded. 
The result is an accumulation of blood, distending the organs or 
veins, producing engorgements and a darkened color of the blood 
and tissues. The blood assumes a darkened color partly from de- 
lay and partly from deficient pulmonary absorption and aeration. 

The causes of these local congestions are not always to be deter- 
mined, yet they almost always receive their chief force from a 
morbid habit pervading the general system ; at least this is the 
case when no local disease exists to account for them. 



132 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Treatment. — The principal object in the treatment of black 
water is to equalize the circulation and decarbonize the blood. 
Diffusible stimulants and nauseants fulfill the first indication, and 
ammonia the latter ; therefore I use the following : 

Fluid extract of ginger 1 oz. 

Chlorate of potass 1 oz. 

Spirits of ammonia 2 dr. 

Water 1 pint. 

Give the above quantity once daily. 

Eed Water. 

The changes which occur in the color of the urine are the results 
of various causes. In a preceding article the reader is informed 
that hematuria (voiding of blood with urine) is traceable to cer- 
tain direct causes, hence the difficulty is of an acute character. 
Now, suppose we take a well animal as a subject for experiment. 
We administer repeated doses of sweet spirits of niter or tincture 
of juniper. The first thing we notice is, the urine is augmented, 
or rather more profuse than usual, and of a pale color. Continue 
the medicaments over a given period, and the urine assumes a 
darker color — first, yellow ; next, brown, or coffee color, purple, or 
even black. This shows conclusively that the color of the urine 
can be altered by the use of medicinal agents ; therefore, if a red- 
dened appearance of the urine follow the exhibition of strong 
diuretics, the cause is plain enough, and the cure is effected by dis- 
continuing the diuretic medicine, and in restoring the equilibrium 
of action which should exist among the various excretory organs. 
Various kinds of food are also operative in producing changes in 
the color and quantity of the urinary secretion. Beets and car- 
rots, when fed in quantity for a sufficient length of time, alter 
essentially the color of the fluids of, the body, urine included. As 
regards quantity, musty oats and an excess of stimulating food 
are notorious causes in explanation of augmented and discolored 
urinary secretion. 

Discoloration of the urine, which some of our Western farmers 
term " red water," is usually occasioned by derangement of the 
liver and other parts of the digestive apparatus. The urine, how- 
ever, is more likely to have a tinge of brown or yellow than red, 
and, therefore, several writers, Mr. Youatt included, have termed 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 133 

such cases " chronic red water ; " and they all agree that such an 
affection is not primarily one of the kidneys, but of the liver, and 
I presume that the " red-water " which prevails among cattle in 
the West owes its origin to the same causes as above. For exam- 
ple: A friend informs me that he lost a valuable cow, " which died 
of red water," and that the urine was of a " yellow-brown color," 
indicating, very clearly, that the animal labored under an affection 
of the liver; and, in view of dispelling all doubt on the subject, 
I here introduce a short paragraph from my correspondent's letter: 

" On skinning the animal, I found that the parts beneath (sub- 
cellular tissues) had a yellow appearance. On cutting open the 
abdomen, I noticed that the liver was of a very dark color, and 
appeared to be filled with black blood. The gall-bladder was very 
large, and appeared darker than usual ; the manyplies (manyplus) 
was full of caked food, and there were no appearances of disease 
in any other parts." 

Of course, it will be perceived that my correspondent was far 
from being an adept in the art of autopsy ; however, the appear- 
ances which he has described lead us to the necessary conclusion 
that the so-called red water (which he contends caused the death 
of his cow) was the result of functional, perhaps organic, disease 
of the liver. 

Mr. Youatt, when discussing the theory of the pathology of 
chronic red water, offers the following : 

" Chronic red water is more prevalent than that- which is acute, 
and in its first stage is far more a disease of the digestive organs, 
and especially of the liver than of the kidney. The urine is ob- 
served to be of a brown color, or brown tinged with yellow. The 
beast feeds nearly as well as before, but ruminates rather more lazily. 
In a few days a natural diarrhea comes on, and the animal is well at 
once ; or a purgative drench is administered, and a cure is presently 
affected. This occurs frequently in cows and calves of weak con- 
stitution. At other times there is manifest indisposition. The ani- 
mal is dull, heavy, languid ; the ears droop, the back is bowed ; she 
separates from the herd ; she refuses her food, and ceases to rumi- 
nate. Presently she gets better; she rejoins her companions, but 
this is only for a little while. The urine, which at first was brown, 
with a tinge of yellow, has now red mingled with brown, or it is 
of the color of porter. It is increased in quantity ; is discharged 
sometimes with ease, at other times with considerable straining — 



134 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

in little jets, and with additional bowing of the back. The milk 
diminishes ;. it acquires a slight tinge of yellow or brown ; the 
taste becomes unpleasant, and it spoils all that it is mingled with. 
The pulse is accelerated ; it reaches to 60 or 70. If the blood is 
drawn, the serum which separates from it is brown. The skin is 
yellow, but of a darker yellow than in jaundice; it has a tinge of 
brown. The conjunctiva is also yellow, inclining to brown. The 
urine becomes of a darker hue, and is almost black. The animal 
usually shrinks when the loins are pressed upon. Occasionally 
there is much tenderness, but oftener the beast scarcely shrinks 
more than he is accustomed to do when laboring under almost 
every disease. The belly is not so much tucked up as drawn to- 
gether at the sides. There is considerable loss of condition ; the 
legs and ears get cold ; the animal is less inclined to move ; there 
is evident general debility. In every stage there is costiveness, 
and that exceedingly difficult to overcome, but, on close inquiry, 
it is ascertained that there was diarrhea at the beginning, and 
which was violent and fetid, and which suddenly stopped." 

Testimony of this description, emanating from reliable authority, 
is entitled to our consideration ; and it should teach us to seek for 
the cause of discolored urine beyond the region of the kidneys, 
except in those cases which are evidently the results of the action 
of diuretics or stimulants in the form of improper food. It will 
generally be found that discoloraiions in the urine are the symp- 
toms of a disease located elsewhere; hence the disease should be 
treated instead of the symptoms. 

Treatment. — If the disease appears to be located in the liver, 
indicated by a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces, dark -colored 
feces, and yellow tinge of the urine, the animal being dull and 
sleepy, showing symptoms of febrile action, it may be proper to 
administer a dose of purgative medicine, combined with some 
agent calculated to restore the physiological action of the liver, and 
I therefore recommend the following : 

Epsom salts ... 12 oz. 

Podophyllum peltatum (mandrake)... 2 dr. 

Dissolve the salts in tepid water, one pint ; then add the podo- 
phyllum, and administer the same by means of a " drenching- 
horn," or bottle. 

In administering medicine to cattle, our object is to get it beyond 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 135 

the rumen or paunch into the digestive compartment of their com- 
plex stomach, and, in aiming to do this, we pour the medicine 
down the oesophagus slowly. After the bowels have responded to 
the action of the medicine, it may be proper to administer altera- 
tives which are known to change morbid action. Powdered sul- 
phur and mandrake may be given, in small doses — not sufficient 
of either to keep up the cathartic action of the salts, but merely 
to keep the bowels in a soluble condition for a day or two ; and if 
there be any danger of superpurgation, neither mandrake nor sul- 
phur are indicated. In such case I should giye an occasional dose 
of powdered golden seal, two drachms, and the same* quantity of 
carbonate of soda. The patient should be fed sparingly ; and if 
the season permit, a run in the pasture will prove beneficial. 




SECTION VIII. 

THE HEART — ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 

Description of the Heart — The Heart's Function — Diseases of the Heart- 
Dilatation of the Heart — Pericarditis — Hypertrophy — Endocarditis. 

Description of the Heart. 

THE heart is a wonderful and powerful piece of muscular 
mechanism. Its function is of the involuntary order, so 
that regular contractions and expansions, or beatings, occur in the 
normal state, without the knowledge and consent of the animal. 
These contractions and expansions, however, can be modified by 
means of various medicinal agents which act upon the nervous 
system, thus producing a sort of mixed action (voluntary and in- 
voluntary). For example, all medicines known as sedatives op- 
erate so as to depress the heart's action, and lessen, for a given 
period, the number of its pulsations ; while, on the other hand, 
stimulants augment the action of the heart, and increase the num- 
ber of its pulsations. The average weight of the heart of an ox 
is eight pounds, yet it is frequently the seat of fatty degeneration, 
when its weight and bulk is then materially increased. 

The heart is anatomically divided into four cavities, two of 
which being in a superior and anterior direction, and, in conse- 
quence of bearing some resemblance to the ears of a dog, are 
termed auricles. These cavities, known as right and left (or 
rather anterior and posterior), are divided by a wall, or septum, 
known as the septum auriculorum. The right auricle is the re- 
ceptacle for venous blood, and three venous trunks terminate in 
it; namely, the anterior vena cava, which returns the venous 
blood from the anterior extremities, head and neck; next, the 
vena cava posterior, which returns the venous blood from the 
posterior parts ; and, lastly, the coronary vein. The latter returns 
(136) 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 



137 



blood which has circulated through the heart itself for its own 
nourishment. A considerable quantity of dark, venous blood is 
generally found in this auricle after death, and it opens into the 
right or anterior ventricle by an aperture denominated the au- 
riculo-ventricular opening ; yet, in consequence of a valvular con- 
trivance within the ventricle, the blood can not recede into the 
auricle. 




the heart; its circulation. 

Explanation.— a, The left ventricle ; 6, The right ventricle ; cef, The aorta; g h i, The ca- 
rotid and other arteries springing from the aorta ; k, The pulmonary artery ; 1, Branches 
of the pulmonary artery in the lungs ; m m, The pulmonary veins emptying into the left 
auricle; n, The right auricle; o, The ascending vena cava; q, The descending vena 
cava ; r, The left auricle ; s, The coronary vein and artery. 



Internally, the right auricle is lined by a glistening vascular 
membrane, having, on various parts of its surface, small muscular 
eminences, termed musculi pectinati. The small cavities which 
occur, in consequence of this arrangement, are termed cul-de-sacs. 
The right or venous ventricle is also lined by a nicely-organized 
membrane, and has beneath it several muscular prominences, 
named carnce columnce, which give origin to as many tendinous 



138 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

slips. These are known as cordce tendince. They are inserted 
into a fibrous membrane in the region of the auriculo-ventricular 
opening, and then get the name (membrane included) valvula 
tricuspis. The lateral contractions of this ventricle are aided by 
small tendinous cords, having muscular origins from the wall and 
septum. The venous blood passes from this cavity into the pul- 
monary tissues of oxygenation, through the pulmonary artery, 
which emerges from the superior part of the ventricle. At the 
commencement of the pulmonary artery are found three valves 
termed semilunar. Their function is to guard against a retrograde 
movement of the blood, so that it has no other channel than that 
which leads to the lungs. 

The left ventricle has scarcely any anatomical or structural dif- 
ferences from those observed in the right, although its cavity is 
smaller, and its walls are somewhat thicker, than those found on 
the right. It receives the blood from the lungs after purification, 
by means of the pulmonary veins, which have four openings into 
this cavity — two proceeding from the right and two from the left 
lobes. The left or arterial ventricle is the reservoir for arterial 
blood, which is destined to reanimate, replenish, and perpetuate 
the vital economy. Having a vastly more important function to 
perform (which requires augmented muscular mechanism) than its 
duplicate found on the right side, the thickness of its walls must, 
therefore, necessarily exceed those of the right. This is found to 
be the case, so that the outer wall of this is about three times as 
thick as that found on the other side ; and this guide is useful to 
us in determining at sight, after the heart is detached from the 
body, which is the left ventricle, and vice versa. 

The channel of communication between the left auricle and 
ventricle is named, as is the case on the opposite side, aurieulo- 
ventricular opening. It is furnished, however, with only two 
instead of three valvular openings, termed valvula bicuspis, or 
mitralis. This ventricle is one of importance for our considera- 
tion, from the fact of the great aorta (the plastic hose, which 
seldom if ever requires cobbling or repair) here originates. Its 
margin, or outlet, is guarded by a complete set of valves, three in 
number, termed semilunar, similar to those found at the origin of 
the pulmonary artery. This ventricle is divided from the one on 
the opposite side by a muscular and tendinous oartition termed 
septum ventriculorum. 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. '> 139 

Form, Situation, and Attachment of the Heart. — Its form de- 
scribes that simulating a cone having a body, base, and apex. 
Its base being in a superior direction, it follows, as a matter of 
course, that its apex has an inferior insertion downward and back- 
ward. The heart lies in the region occupied by the fourth, fifth, 
and sixth dorsal vertebra, right in the central region known as 
the cavity of the chest. Its apex is inclined to the left side. It 
appears that in the ox the heart differs in construction from that 
of the horse in the following peculiarities : There is a bone found 
in the heart termed os cordis, the function of which has never been 
explained; yet it is evidently intended for some useful purpose — 
perhaps to give strength and durability to the sanguinous force- 
pump. Next, we notice some difference in the internal mechanism 
of the right ventricle. There are several fleshy bands, running 
across from side to side, which prevents abnormal dilatation ; for, 
taken as a whole, the venous system of the bovine species is more 
developed than in the horse — the veins are larger and more numer- 
ous, and more blood is constantly accumulating in the right auricle 
and ventricle; hence the need of additional muscular mechanism. 

The Heart's Function. 

The blood having gone the rounds of the circulation, enters the 
anterior or right cavity (auricle). It then passes into the venous 
or right ventricle. By the contraction of this ventricle the blood 
is forced through the pulmonary arteries into the lungs; there 
having undergone certain changes (which have been alluded to in 
another part of this work), it returns by the pulmonary veins to 
the left auricle; from thence it descends into the left ventricle. 
The contractions of the left ventricle force the blood into the 
great aorta (anterior and posterior), which gives rise to a numer- 
ous set of arteries, through which channels the blood reaches the 
extreme parts of the system. 

Diseases of the Heart. 

Diseases of the heart in cattle are very common, yet they fre- 
quently elude detection, simply because the symptoms are very 
obscure. Mr. Gamgee contends that the most common cause of 
diseases of the heart in cattle is the passage of needles, and other 



140 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

foreign bodies, from the reticulum through the diaphragm. At 
the same time, he alludes to many drawings in his possession of 
polypi in the heart, growing from the auriculo-ventricular valves; 
also to drawings of deposits beneath the endocardium (lining of the 
heart's cavity) ; of tumors, also, outside the heart, consisting in 
masses of cysts, and due to the development of hydatids of the 
echinacoccus veterinorum. 



Dilatation of the Heart. 

The heart is often the seat of dilatation, or amplifications of 
one or more cavities, with attenuation of the walls of the same. 
This dilatation is supposed to arise from the mechanical effect of 
over-distension. 

Cause. — The cause of dilatation is deficient power in the heart 
in proportion to that of the system. This may be acquired or 
it may be congenital. All obstructions, also, to the circulation, 
whether situated in the orifices of the heart or in the aortic or 
pulmonary systems, may induce this dilatation. 

Symptoms. — The pulsations are feeble and oppressed, and, on 
moving the animal about, he becomes distressed; the pulse is soft 
and feeble ; languor in the arterial circulation, as shown by the 
congested state of the mucous surfaces. The respiration is some- 
what affected, not primarily, but through the intervention of 
irregular nervous action. The jugulars are engorged, and various 
parts and organs of the body are congested, and the surface and 
extremities are below the natural temperature. 

Treatment. — The principal object should be to improve the 
general health, by alteratives and tonics. The surface of the 
body should be kept warm, and often rubbed, so as to excite 
capillary action. This will also have the effect of relieving the 
venous congestions. Any hygienic measures, regarding both dtiet 
and management, will certainly do good. Pure air, for example, 
is absolutely needed, to vitalize the blood as it tardily courses the 
veins. Without such there is very little chance of restoring i he 
animal. The alterative and tonic may be thus prepared : 

Iodide of potass \ oz. 

Fluid extract of sassafras 3 oz. 

Fluid extract .of hops 1 oz. 

Water. . . , 1 pint 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES. 141 

Mix, and dissolve the potass in the water; then add the other 
ingredients. Dose, one-fourth of this quantity night and morning. 

The Pericardium and its Diseases. 

The pericardium is a membranous bag that surrounds the heart. 
It is known to the butchers as the " heart-bag/' and is attached 
to the sternum, diaphragm, and to the roots of the large blood- 
vessels at the base of the heart. It is composed of two layers, 
united by cellular tissues. The external one is composed of 
fibrous tissue; the internal one is a smooth, serous membrane, 
similar to that which lines the cavity of the chest. This serous 
membrane is studded by numerous vessels called exhalents. From 
these issue a vapor of fluid, the purpose of which is to guard 
against friction. The insertions of the pericardium are such that 
it confines the heart in its proper situation, and aids in sustain- 
ing a reciprocal action between the heart and lungs. It is often 
the seat of a disease known as pericarditis. 

Pericarditis. 

This disease consists of inflammation of the pericardium, the 
causes of which are supposed to be nearly the same as those of 
pleurisy, or inflammation of other serous membranes; namely, 
sudden impressions of cold on the external surface, violence, etc. 
A special cause has also been assigned for this disease; namely, 
the penetration of the pericardium by foreign bodies, such as nails, 
needles, wire, etc., coming from the interior of the stomach, and 
working their way through it into the former. 

Symptoms. — There is considerable increase in the force of the 
heart's pulsation ; the jugular veins are engorged (larger than 
usual), and an undulating movement is observed in them. There 
will be acute inflammatory fever, generally preceded by rigors, 
shivering, and coldness ; the visible surfaces of the nostrils and 
eyes are highly reddened in the early stages, and rumination has 
ceased, with loss of appetite. The animal occasionally directs its 
head near the region of the heart, and if pressure be made on the 
sternum (breast-bone), it elicits distressing symptoms. As the 
disease progresses, the jugulars increase in volume, the pulse be- 
comes feeble, and an oedematous or dropsical state of the lower 



142 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

parts of the thorax sets in. This latter feature indicates fn-jt a 
considerable quantity of fluid is present, both in the pericardium 
and thorax. In this stage the case is incurable. 

Treatment. — In the early stage of pericarditis, the treatment 
should be about the same as that recommended for acute pulmonic 
and pleuritic affections. Iodide of potassium, in doses of twenty- 
five grains per day, may prove serviceable; and some form of 
diuretic medicine may also be exhibited, to increase the action of 
the kidneys. So soon as the patient shows signs of amendment, 
tincture of matico, in ounce doses, may be given, twice daily, 
until the patient has fairly recovered. 

The London " Veterinarian " publishes the following case, fur- 
nished by Surgeon Lepper : 

" I herewith send you what I think is a rare specimen of a dis- 
eased heart, with its investment, which was taken from a cow of 
the short-horn breed, about seven years old, the property of Mr. 
Bliss, of Windmill Hill, Waddesdon. On the fourth day after 
calving she was noticed to fail in her appetite, and her milk also 
became greatly diminished in quantity. In walking across the 
yard she staggered and fell. She laid for some considerable time, 
when, with difficulty, she got up and walked to a shed, where she 
soon laid down again. It was in this condition that I first saw 
her. The expression of her countenance did not materially differ 
from that of a healthy animal. The bowels were regular in their 
action; the pulse did not exceed fifty beats in the minute, and 
was soft and full. On the left side of the chest there was an 
emphysematous swelling, extending over four or five of the mid- 
dle ribs, and about eight or ten inches wide. On auscultating 
the chest, I could not discover any unusual sound in the respira- 
tory action ; the breathing, also, was regular. The jugular veins 
were filled to repletion, so as to be observable when standing by 
the side of the animal — a state of things which I have invariably 
found to exist in effusion into the pericardium, and, especially, if 
much fluid is present. I felt satisfied that this was a case of this 
description, and, consequently, formed an unfavorable opinion as 
to the issue. To relieve the distended vessels, I took away eight 
or ten pounds of blood, and gave a slight purgative, which ap- 
peared to afford temporary relief. For two or three days the 
appetite improved, and the cow appeared to move with greater 
freedom and less pain. On the sixth day after my first visit she 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES. 143 

suddenly relapsed, and died on the seventh. This animal had, for 
some time past, wasted in flesh, but, as her general appearance was 
healthy, little notice was taken of it. It is surprising that she 
should have gone on so well as she did with so extensive disease 
of the heart. As to the nature of the affection I shall offer no 
remarks, but leave this to be explained by you." 

The following remarks are added by the editor of the above- 
named journal: 

"This was but another of several specimens which we have, 
received, from time to time, in which the external surface of the 
heart was covered with layers of effused and partially-organized 
fibrine. The pericardium was thickened to three times its natural 
substance, and within it was contained several ounces of colorless 
serous fluid. The effused fibrine hung in grapelike appendages 
from the base of the heart, each of which had a flocculent condition. 
These bodies were devoid of color, and had altogether such an 
appearance as would lead us to doubt whether the effusions re- 
sulted from active inflammation. The muscular substance of the 
organ, and its internal lining membrane, were alike free from 
organic change." 

The following case, which occurred in the practice of Mr. 
Williams, may also prove interesting and instructive to the 
reader : 

" On the 16th of June, I was requested by Mr. Thomas Tatum, 
Gwernafield, to attend a cow of his. Her history he gave as fol- 
lows : ' She has been unwell since she calved, three weeks ago. 
The foetal membranes were not expelled for a fortnight after the 
event, and they came away piecemeal, in a state of putrescence. 
Her appetite has been very capricious all along, and her bowels 
rather costive. A discharge of white matter has taken place from 
the vagina for the last week or so. She gives but little milk. 
The breathing is tranquil, and she does not cough. She has a 
peculiar stare in the countenance, and takes a great deal of notice 
of every thing.' 

On inspection, I found her as the owner had stated, the symp- 
toms, to a casual observer, being any thing but indicative of 
extensive organic changes, but more of general debility after par* 
turition. She. was rather emaciated. On closer examination, I 
found the mucous membranes to be rather pallid ; the mouth, cool 
and moist; the temperature of the body but slightly below the 



144 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

natural standard, and equal over all parts of the body ; the pulse, 
very weak, beating 96 in the minute, and regular; the breathing 
only very slightly hurried. 

After advancing thus far in my examination, I must confess 
that the case fairly puzzled me, and I was inclined to look on it 
as one of general debility and leucorrhea ; but as the discharge 
from the vagina was very slight, I thought it could not be the 
sole cause of the loss of appetite and other symptoms present. I 
now auscultated the chest, and, on applying my ear, the respira- 
tory murmur was heard distinct and natural, but I thought a little 
increased at the anterior portion of both sides. On auscultating 
the region of the heart, I failed to detect the sounds of that organ, 
and on still further examination, both the sounds and the impulse 
were indetectible. This struck me as being curious, but, on ac- 
count of the regularity of the pulse, I did not consider either the. 
heart or its membranes to be the seat of disease, and treated the 
case as one of general debility, loss of appetite, and leucorrhea. 
The animal lingered for about four weeks more, the symptoms 
remaining nearly the same as at the time when I first examined 
her, with the exception of increased emaciation. 

The post mortem examination revealed anaemia, the tissues being 
exceedingly pale and sodden, the blood in the vessels scanty and 
pale, and scarcely staining the fingers. The abdominal viscera 
were healthy, with the exception of the liver, which was congested. 
The gall-bladder was distended with dirty, lemon-colored bile, 
of thin consistence, and seemingly containing a large amount of 
mucus. On opening the cavity of the thorax, the pericardium 
was seen distended to an enormous extent, filling the floor of the 
cavity, and adherent to the sternum and pleura costalis by a thick 
layer of exuded lymph, this having no appearance of organization, 
but seemingly consisting of a shapeless basis-substance, easily 
separated from the parts it was in contact with. The cavity of 
the pericardium contained in its inferior part about two pints of a 
fetid, Avhey-like fluid. With the exception of that part which 
contained this fluid, the cavity was obliterated by exudation, 
matter about two inches in thickness surrounding and gluing to- 
gether the visceral and parietal surfaces of the pericardium. The 
heart itself was flabby, pale, and its cavities contained a small 
amount of blood, of the same thin consistence as that in other 
parts of the body. The endocardium was healthy. The lungs 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 145 

presented no appearance of disease; they were pale, excepting 
in the parts lying undermost after death. The plurse, excepting 
where they were involved in the pericardiac disease, presented no 
abnormal appearance. The thoracic and abdominal cavities con- 
tained a little fluid. 

Reflecting on the appearance presented by the pericardium, by 
its being adherent through the accompanying pleuritis to the 
walls of the thorax and sternum, and by the heart itself being 
thus in a manner bound down and fastened by a thick layer of 
plaster, and elastic material existing between it and the ribs, I 
was satisfied that the absence of the sounds of impulse was due to 
these pathological changes, and not, as I had foolishly supposed, 
to general debility. But, before giving publicity to this opinion, 
I thought it better to wait for more proof. 

September 4, 1857, I was called to attend a cow, the property 
of "W. Gregg, Esq., Syntroll, Mold. I had attended her in May 
previous for ( retention of the foetal membrane.' She seemed to 
be very languid and depressed for some days before and after the 
removal of these ; but, as she fed pretty well, I was not requested 
to prescribe for her. She had given milk freely all the summer, 
but had not appeared so lively as she ought to be. She seemed 
as well as usual on the evening of the 3d of September. On the 
morning of the 4th her quantity of milk was diminished. On 
examination, I found her wet and cold from the rain of the pre- 
vious night, standing l all of a heap ;' head depressed, and ears 
pendulous ; mouth and nose, cold ; breathing, tranquil ; bowels, 
costive ; pulse, 100, very feeble, but regular ; the mucous mem- 
branes slightly tinged yellow. Auscultation failed to detect the 
sounds of the heart, and the palpitation was absent. I pronounced 
the case to be one of pericarditis, and that exudation had taken 
place to some extent; also that congestion of the liver existed, 
this being secondary, and owing to the feebleness of the circula- 
tion. 

The treatment consisted in the administration of purgatives and 
stimulants. Counter-irritants were also applied to the sides, and 
as the case advanced, tonics were given. But nothing seemed to 
affect the pulse ; it remained feeble throughout, and it was only a. 
few days before death that irregularity was detected. 

On Friday, September 18, diarrhea set in, and on the 21st (Ede- 
matous swellings appeared in different parts of the body, but more- 
10 



146 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

especially on the dewlap and fore-parts. On the 23d she dropped 
down and died without a struggle. 

All throughout, this animal exhibited the same watchful state 
as observed in the first case, and the appetite was very capricious 
indeed. One day she would feed pretty well ; then, again, 3he 
would not touch any thing for days. The bowels were very ir- 
regular, and, on account of rumination being suspended, the food 
passed through her in a half-masticated state. 

The post mortem, four hours after death, revealed general anaemia 
of the subcutaneous and muscular tissues, these being seemingly in 
a broken-down condition. The blood in the veins was pale and 
thin. The abomasum, small intestines, and liver were congested ; 
but even here the blood was of the same watery character as in 
other parts. The gall-bladder was distended with thin, lemon- 
colored bile. The thoracic cavity contained rather a large amount 
of clear serum. The pericardium was distended by a layer of 
lymph, about two inches in thickness, gluing togethei its two 
surfaces, and containing, near the dpex of the heart, nearly a pint 
of dirty, whey-colored fluid, of a fetid odor. The lymph was 
easily removed from the heart, and between it and the muscular 
tissue of the organ was a layer of cartilaginous substance, about a 
quarter of an inch in thickness, covered by a serous glistening 
membrane. Toward the apex of the heart this had. formed bands 
of connection between the two surfaces of the pericardium, but in 
all other parts it was confined to the visceral pericardium only. 
The lungs were slightly congested. The pluree were as described 
in the former case." 



Hypertrophy of the Heart. 

Hypertrophy signifies augmentation — thickening of the muscu- 
lar substance of an organ, resulting from increased nutrition. It 
generally occurs in animals of the sanguine temperament, of vig- 
orous health, their muscles being much harder and firmer than 
usual. In such animals the blood is rich, and nutrition is very 
active. I have often visited market for the purpose of inspecting 
the hearts of slaughtered oxen, and I have observed that hyper- 
trophy generally occurs in the left ventricle. Sometimes its walls 
are thickened, the cavity retaining its natural dimensions. Occa- 
sionally the cavity is dilated and the wall thickened, but, in the 



THE HEART— ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 147 

majority of cases, the walls are thickened and the cavity dimin- 
ished. This constitutes the disease known as true or concentric 
hypertrophy (enlargement). 

This disease, when moderate and uncomplicated, is not pro- 
ductive of much inconvenience to the bovine species, whose mo- 
tions are slow ; yet occurring in a horse, it would produce much 
inconvenience, and render the animal almost useless for speed. 

Symptoms. — A person unacquainted with the heart's sounds will 
find it impossible to diagnose a disease of this character; in fact, 
such a disease will sometimes defy the scrutiny of experts. A 
deadened sound is always heard when the ear of a person is applied 
to the region of the heart, yet this depends somewhat on the form 
of the disease, its complications, the nature and intensity of the 
exciting causes, and the condition of the patient. On applying 
the finger to the pulse at the angle of the jaw, or on the temporal 
artery, it will appear that the circulation is embarrassed. 

Treatment. — No rules can be laid down for the treatment of this 
affection, and the only agent of any value is iodine, or iodide of 
potassium. It is possible, however, that in a case of this character 
the butcher may prove to be the best doctor. 

Endocarditis. 

Endocarditis is an inflammatory affection, located in the mem- 
brane within the heart. It is a rare disease among cattle, yet very 
frequently occurs among horses. 

Symptoms. — Like all inflammatory conditions, this is attended 
with heat about the base of the horns ; hot and feverish mouth ; 
vitiation of the secretions ; cessation of rumination ; some degree 
of suffering, of a peculiar character, not noticed in any other af- 
fection. The pulse is violent, abrupt, strong, full, and may range 
up to eighty; every motion the animal makes accelerates the 
respiration ; yet the lungs show no signs of disease. On examin- 
ing the heart after death, its internal membrane is thickened, and 
appears of a dark purple color; clots of extravasated blood are 
also present on its internal surface. 

Treatment. — Administer a cathartic drench, say about sixteen 
ounces of Glauber salts in a couple of quarts of tepid water ; then 
give half an ounce of powdered nitrate of potassa in a little water, 
every four hours, until the force of the pulse is essentially lowered. 



148 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



In the mean time, administer an occasional clyster of soap and warm 
water. 

This disease has occasionally a rheumatic origin ; so that if the 
animal be taken suddenly with inflammatory muscular lameness 
assuming the features of rheumatism, shifting from one limb to 
another, and then leaving the region of the first attack and going 
to the heart, I should prescribe two fluid drachms of wine of col- 
chicum, in a gill of water, every morning, and at night, twenty- 
five grains of iodide of potass, in half a gill of water. 




CELEBRATED EULL '" DUTCHMAN." 



SECTION IX 

DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 

Description of the Eye— Humors of the Eye — Coats of the Eye — Muscles 
of the Eye and Eyelids — Ophthalmia — Foreign Bodies in the Eyes — Spe- 
cific or Periodical Ophthalmia — Cancer in Cattle. 

Description of the Eye* 

THE eyes of oxen are frequently the seat of various forms of 
disease, hence it is necessary that the farmer should know 
something of their wonderful mechanism ; I therefore propose to 
give a description of the same. The eye is protected by a bony 
casing known as the orbit, which appears to be much stronger than 
that found in the horse. In the interior part we find a large quan- 
tity of fatty matter which acts as a soft cushion for the eye to 
repose on, and, at the same time, as the fatty matter accumulates, 
it gives prominence to the eye and increases the range of vision. 



HUMOES OF THE EYE. 

The humors of the eye are named aqueous, crystalline, and 
vitreous — three in number. The aqueous humor fills the interval 
between the cornea and crystalline lens, and is surrounded by a 
capsule of its own, on the inner surface of which is secreted the 
aqueous humor. The uses of this limpid fluid appear to be to 
transmit the rays of light and permit free motions of the iris. The 
fluid is frequently evacuated and reproduced. 

Crystalline Lens. — This is situated in a concavity behind the 
aqueous humor, and anterior to the vitreous, opposite to the pupil. 
In appearance it resembles a crystal or lens of magnifying glass, 
and is composed of concentric lamella?, and these of radii. Its 
form is spherical, yet the posterior surface is more convex than 

(149) 



150 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the anterior. Like the other humors of the eye, it is enveloped 
in a capsule, and the disease known as cataract consists of altered 
structure in the lens or its capsule ; sometimes both are involved, 
Acids, alcohol, and boiling water convert it into an opaque, solid 
body, resembling the white of an egg when boiled. The function 
of the crystalline lens is to concentrate the rays of light so as to 
form a distinct image on the interior of the eye. 

Vitreous Humor. — This jellylike substance derives its name 
from its glassy appearance. It occupies the posterior concavity of 
the globe of the eye, known as the " dark chamber." It fills the 
membranes, aids to maintain the form of the eye, and keeps the 
crystalline lens at a proper and physiological distance from the 
retina. Anatomists have hitherto failed in detecting any signs of 
vascularity in the vitreous humor. 

Coats of the Eye. 

1. Tunica Conjunctiva. — This membrane is very highly organ- 
ized, lines the eyelids, and is reflected over the anterior part of the 
eyeball. It covers the region known as the pupil, yet is pervious 
to the rays of light. Previous, however, to being reflected over 
the globe, it gives a covering to the membran beneath, carunculas 
lacrymale, and puncta lachrymal ia. 

2. Tunica Sclerotica. — This tunic is made up of fibers, which 
are very dense, yet elastic. It constitutes what is commonly 
known as the " white of the eye," extends from the junction of the 
optic nerve with the globe to the cornea, and, more than any other 
tunic of the eye, tends to preserve its form. It also affords attach- 
ment for most of the muscles of the eye — the retractor and four 
recti. 

3. Cornea. — This is a dense and compact membrane, yet com- 
posed of laminated structure, which accounts for the opacity or 
" filmy " obscurity so often encountered in veterinary practice ; for, 
in a physiological condition of the eye, the laminae are compact, 
like a house newly shingled; but, in consequence of untoward 
circumstances, a leak occurs ; a watery exudation then sets in. The 
cornea may be considered as the shield that protects the eye, yet, 
in consequence of its transparency, it is also operative in the pro- 
duction of vision. 

4. Iri&. — This is the movable curtain of the eye, adapts the eye 



DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 151 

to vision, possesses the property of contraction and expansion. In 
its center is a perforation commonly known as the pupil. The 
dimension of the pupil depends entirely on its contraction and di- 
latation. In a very dark barn (provided the eye be in a healthy 
condition), the pupil will be very much dilated; in a barn well 
lighted, the pupil will be quite small. The iris is a fibro-muscu- 
lar membrane, abundantly supplied with blood-vessels and nerves, 
and coated with a substance known as uvea, which is derived from 
the pigment. The arteries of the iris come from the ciliary ; its 
nerves are derived from the ciliary. 

5. Choroid Coat. — This coat, or membrane, lies beneath the 
sclerotica. It extends from the optic foramen to the ciliary edge 
of the cornea. Both of its surfaces are coated with pigment, 
which absorb the rays of light. The outer coating is entirely 
black ; the inner one is a mixture of black and green, which lines 
the posterior half of the dark chamber. 

6. The Retina. — This is the third or inner coat of the eye. It 
is a delicate, transparent membrane, highly vascular. The prin- 
cipal part of it, probably, consists of an expansion of the optic 
nerve; it is the part on which the object of vision is depicted. It 
is supplied with blood by branches from the central artery of the 
retina. 

Muscles of the Eye and Eyelids. 

The first muscle which attracts our attention, on removing the 
palpebral integument, is the orbicularis palpebrarum, so named 
from the spherical or circular arrangement of its muscular fibers. 
It is inserted into the orbital portion of the ungis and os frontis 
to the palpebral ligament, and to the skin of the lids. Its use is to 
shut the eyelids. 

Levator Palpebrce Superioris. — The action of this muscle is to 
corrugate and draw the lid upward. It is located above the orbit, 
and is attached to the forehead by means of an aponeurotic expan- 
sion, and is inserted into the upper eyelid, its muscular fibers being 
blended with those of the preceding muscle. Its action is to raise 
the upper eyelid, in which action it is aided by the levator palpe- 
bral internus. 

Next, we find four muscles known as recti; namely, levator 
oculi, depressor oculi, abductor oculi, adductor oculi. They are 
inserted into the cavity of the orbit and external part of the scler- 



152 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

©tica, at points equidistant from each other. The action of these 
four muscles are as follows: The levator raises the eyeball in a 
superior direction ; the depressor, as its name indicates, depresses 
the eyeball ; the abductor turns the eyeball from the axis of the 
body outward; and the adductor rotates the eyeball inward, or 
toward the axis of the body. 

The three remaining- muscles, making seven proper to the eye, 
are named obliquus superiora, et inferiora, and retractor oculi. 
The obliquus superiora is found in the upper part of the inner 
cavity of the orbit, and is attached to the margin of the optic far- 
amen. At the inner canthus of the eye it passes through a fibro- 
cartilaginous pulley-like arrangement, by which means the eyeball 
is rotated in an oblique direction upward and outward. 

Obliquus Superiora. — This muscle is found beneath the eyeball, 
in the front and lower part of the orbit. It is attached to the os 
unguis, and to the lower and outer part of the sclerotica, at its 
junction with the transparent part of the globe. Its action is 
antagonistic to that of the preceding muscle. 

The seventh and last muscle to be described is the retractor. 
It is one of the most admirably-arranged muscles in the whole 
animal economy. In figure it resembles a hollow cone — its apex 
turned backward, its base pointing forward, the inner edge sur- 
rounding the optic foramen, and, at the same time, offering pro- 
tection to the optic nerve. Around its sides, equidistant, are found 
the four recti muscles, making a very complex and wonderful piece 
of mechanism. The action of this muscle is to draw the eye back- 
ward within the orbit. 

I shall now make some brief yet instructive allusions in rela- 
tion to the appendages of the eye. The appendages comprise the 
eyelids, eyelashes, tarsal cartilages, meibomian glands, lachrymal 
glands, caruncula lachrymalis, punctu lachrymalia, lachrymal sac, 
and ductus ad nasum. 

Eyelids. — The upper and lower eyelids may be considered as 
the movable blinds of the eye. The upper is the most capable of 
corrugation, and borders the greatest surface of the eyeball. It is 
readily resolved into wrinkles. At the junctures of the aperture 
which separates the eyelids are the canthi, or angles of the eye. 
The loose portion of integument entering into the composition of 
the upper lid is derived from the skin covering the frontal region, 
and that of the lower lid is derived from the face. The lids inter- 



DISEASES OP THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 153 

nally form two cavities, thus adapting themselves to the convexity 
of the globe. Their internal surfaces are lined with the tunica 
conjunctiva. The borders of the eyelids have two margins. On 
the outer one we find eyelashes ; between the latter and the inter- 
nal margin we find the orifices of the ciliary glands, through which 
issue a secretion for the lubrication of the surrounding parts. The 
edge, or surface between the two margins just alluded to, conduct 
the tears into the pun eta lachrymalis. 

Eyelashes. — The eyelashes (cilia) are so familiar to the reader, 
and their function is so apparent, that I need not trouble him 
with any remarks about them, only to observe that, by their 
advantageous arrangement, the rays of light, come from whatever 
direction they may, are somewhat intercepted ; and they also op- 
erate as feeders to the seeing as well as the sightless animal, and 
warn him of his proximity with bodies that he can not immedi- 
ately perceive. 

Tarsal Cartilages. — These fibro-cartilaginous substances are 
found at the ciliary margins of the upper and lower lids. They 
possess firm and thick ciliary margins, yet grow thin as they 
recede from the cilia. In consequence of their close connection 
with the rim of the orbit, they are called, by some anatomists, 
"tarsal ligaments." Their function is to give some degree of 
firmness to the eyelids, or the soft parts of the same, and they 
also preserve the physiological curvature of the eyelash. 

Ciliary or Meibomian Glands. — On inverting the eyelids of a 
horse, and carefully running the eye over the borders of the lids, 
within the grooves, occurring in the concave part of the tarsal 
cartilages, we perceive, through a very fine tunic or membrane, a 
number of opaque sacs, having a miniature canal, capable of pene- 
tration by a small body equal in caliber to the point of a common 
needle. They are evidently glandular bodies, and, therefore, 
have excretory ducts, which pour out the necessary lubricating 
material to prevent the agglutination of the lids. 

Lachrymal Gland. — This gland lies underneath the process of 
bone known as the orbital arch. It is covered by the lining 
membrane of the orbit. It is a gland of the conglomerate class, 
being composed of many lobules. These lobules are composed 
of granules, from which spring the excretory ducts, and they, by 
interunion, form a set of tubes which terminate on the conjunc- 
tiva of the upper lid. The office of this gland is to secrete the 



154 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

tears, which run into the ducts, and are then poured on the con- 
j unctiva. 

Caruncula Laehrymalis. — At the inferior canthus of the eye, 
between the eyeball and eyelids, is seen a small, black tubercle, 
called the caruncula laehrymalis. It is not a secretory organ, but 
appears to be placed there for the mechanical purpose of directing 
the tears into the puncta laehrymalis. 

Lachrymal Puncta and Conduits. — The puncta are two small 
orifices, seen in the inner margins of the lids, at the root of the 
caruncle. They are the openings of two canals found within the 
substance of the lids, termed lachrymal conduits ; they terminate 
in the lachrymal sac. 

Lachrymal Sac. — The lachrymal sac is a funnel-shaped mem- 
branous bag, lodged in close proximity with the lachrymal for- 
amen. This sac serves as a reservoir, into which the tears flow 
from the lachrymal conduits. The lachrymal sac terminates in 
the ductus ad nasum. 

Ductus ad Nasum. — The office of this duct is to convey away 
the tears as fast as they are collected within the lachrymal sac. 
The duct terminates at the inner and inferior part of the nostril. 
It is formed by a prolongation of the membrane which enters into 
the composition of the lachrymal sac. 

Ophthalmia. 

Symptoms. — Ophthalmia, or inflammation of the eye, is quite a 
common affection among neat stock. It frequently occurs with- 
out any assignable cause, except the concentration of morbid 
action or morbid material in the tissual membranes. It is always 
attended with more or less pain, tenderness, and tumefaction, and 
the tears being secreted faster than they can be carried through 
the ductus ad nasum, flow over the lower lid. This simple dis- 
eased condition differs from what is known as specific or periodi- 
cal ophthalmia. There is no constitutional disturbance to be 
noticed, nor symptomatic fever, and the affection appears to be 
confined to the conjunctivial membrane only. 

Treatment. — The treatment should commence by giving the 
animal a dose of Glauber salts, Avhich consists of twelve ounces 
of salts dissolved in one quart of tepid water. The action of this 
medicine will be to remove morbid matter from the system. The 



DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 155 

eye should be carefully fomented with a warm infusion of hops, 
after which lay a piece of wetted rag over the eye and fasten it 
to the horns. I could name many favorite local applications 
(lotions) for the disease in this stage, but, in my opinion, cold 
water surpasses them all. The food should consist of scalded 
shorts, the animal to be kept quiet in comfortable quarters. 

Foeeign Bodies in the Eye. 

If an animal should suffer in consequence of irritation and 
tumefaction of the lids of one eye, and a little pus or matter can 
be detected, the probability is that some foreign body, such as a 
piece of hay, straw, or dirt, has insinuated itself between the ball 
and eyelid, and has become lodged there. In a case of this char- 
acter, the lids must be carefully inverted, one after the other, and 
examined. The removal of the foreign body is equivalent to a 
cure ; for very little, if any, after-treatment is needed, with the 
exception of cleansing the eye with cold water. 

Specific oe Peeiodical Ophthalmia. 

This dangerous form of disease is termed periodical, because, 
having once made its appearance, there is a liability of a recur- 
rence. It is not, however, so prevalent among cattle as among 
horses. It is a disease Avhich, finally, is sure and certain to end 
in cataract, or disorganization of the eye. In this stage perhaps 
the butcher would be the best doctor. 

It may be proper, however, to give the reader some idea of the 
nature and symptoms of this malady, so that common ophthalmia 
may not be confounded with nor mistaken for it. It has been 
observed, in the preceding article, that common ophthalmia was 
confined to the membranes of the eye. The disease now under 
consideration makes its ravages on the inner structures of the eye, 
the external covering being only sympathetically involved. On 
parting the swollen lids, and if the cornea be not too opaque, we 
shall find that the aqueous humor is thick and muddy; the iris, 
lens, and other internal parts are altered in texture and structure; 
in fact, the eye has all the appearance of being ruined, which is 
probably the case. The remote causes of this disease are consti- 
tutional predisposition. 



156 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

There are several other affections of the eyes of oxen and cows, 
but, as they are incurable, the subjects must be referred to the 
butcher. 

Cancer in Cattle. 

Cancer is a peculiar malignant growth, affecting one or more 
parts of the body. It probably owes its origin to some pecu- 
liarity of constitution. It is usually divided into two stages. 
The first is that of scirrhous, or hardening of the soft parts ; the 
second is that of open cancer, or ulceration. In this stage, a foul 
fungus sore is observed, having an irregular surface of varied 
hue, with elevated, everted, and rough margins. 

Treatment. — The popular method of treating this dreadful mal- 
ady is to dissect out the diseased parts ; but this rarely succeeds, 
for the disease generally has an origin beyond the reach of our 
scalpel. The only remedies of any value, in curable cases, are 
bloodroot and iodide of potassium. The parts should be sprinkled 
often with powdered bloodroot, and the patient should have twenty 
grains per day of iodide of potassium. 

A writer in the " Eclectic Journal " offers the following as the 
pathology of cancer : 

"According to the researches of the most eminent physiolo- 
gists, malignant growths are composed of two parts, granules or 
cells, with cell germs, and granules within them, nourished with 
fat cells and globules, and of fibrous tissue or stroma, in which 
the former parts are embedded. Malignant growths are com- 
posed chiefly of albumen, supplied with blood-vessels, but differ 
in their essential elements — namely, in their chemical and micro- 
scopic — from healthy tissue. The development of this disease is 
evidently a perversion of the ordinary process of nutrition. The 
lymph, or blastema, which exudes through the capillaries, either 
in the ordinary course of nutrition or through some accidental 
inflammation, appears to have its vitality perverted; so that, 
instead of forming itself into one of the proper tissues of the 
body, it forms the irregular abnormal cells, which constitute this 
species of growth. These abnormal cells are deposited in distinct 
masses, or else spread through the tissue of the organ or part, 
which it ultimately supersedes. When once formed, they in- 
crease in size by the constant formation of new cells, which are 
supplied with fresh material from the blood. In the course of 



DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 157 

time, the older portions of cancerous growth lose their vitality, 
soften down, their outer surface ulcerates, and a sanious discharge 
follows." 

The following case appeared in the "Veterinarian," and is 
selected for the instruction of the reader : 

" About two years since, we were called in to attend a cow, the 
property of a gentleman residing in our neighborhood. On ex- 
amination, we perceived a cauliflower excrescence growing from 
the membrana nictitans, about the size of a strawberry, from 
which issued an ichorous discharge that excoriated the adjacent 
parts, and which bled on the slightest touch. We at once de- 
cided upon taking it out, and this was accordingly done, the parts 
being subsequently touched with lunar caustic. After this the 
cow appeared to go on well for about twelve months, without any 
reappearance of the cancerous growth. At the conclusion of that 
time, we were again sent for, and found the cornea had become 
of a bottle-green color, and that the sight of the eye was com- 
pletely gone. About three months after this a fungoid growth 
sprouted from the cornea, which increased in size very rapidly, 
but was repressed by the application of a little burnt alum. 
Shortly after this the eye receded considerably into the socket, 
and eventually it sloughed entirely away. Some weeks after- 
ward she became partially paralyzed, and was unable to masti- 
cate. The lower lip was pendulous; the ear hung down by the 
side of the neck on the affected side; difficulty of deglutition 
was experienced, and the saliva flowed from the mouth, mingled 
with the partially-masticated food. Attenuation of the paralyzed 
muscles quickly followed, and much general emaciation of the 
frame. The owner being desirous of obtaining another calf from 
her, she was kept alive with gruel; but, as it was soon seen she 
could not live so as to give birth to a calf, she was destroyed. 
This being a fortnight before her time, the calf was immediately 
taken out, and if seemed likely to live and do well. It however 
lived only three days, the immediate cause of death being inju 
dicious feeding." 



SECTION X. 

HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 

Forms of Rupture — Inguinal Hernia — Strangulated Hernia — Ventral 

Hernia. 

Hernia. 

ERNIA signifies rupture, or unnatural protrusion of a por- 
tion of the intestines or the omentum. In consequence of 
the rough encounters which horned creatures frequently engage 
in, they are liable to suffer from the consequences of external 
violence, and a pregnant cow, with a distended abdomen, is more 
apt to be injured in this way than the male. Still, an accident 
of this kind will occasionally occur without the intervention of 
external injuries ; for the cow is often the subject of dropsy of the 
womb, and in such condition the abdomen is distended to an enor- 
mous capacity. The only thing that can be done in a case of 
this character, is to rupture the foetal membranes by means of a 
blunt instrument, introduced through the neck of the uterus. 
This will not only evacuate the fluid, but also bring on premature 
labor, and thus the lives of both mother and calf may be saved ; 
provided, however, the calf be full grown. 

Forms of Rupture. 

There are various forms of rupture. A calf is occasionally 
born with a tumor or enlargement in the region of the navel. 
This is known as congenital umbilical hernia. It is termed con- 
genital in consequence of being present at birth, and umbilical 
because it is found in the umbilical region. 

Ti eatment. — This form of hernia is not a very serious matter, 
(158) 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 159 

and very rarely requires an operation. My usual course is to 
apply some cotton-batting, wet with an astringent (infusion of 
bayberry bark), and over the same a bandage, which must be 
passed twice round the body ; yet, if the part is bathed occasion- 
ally with infusion of bayberry, the bandage and batting can be 
dispensed with. The reason why a case of this kind is not a 
serious affair, is because there is no rupture of the walls of the 
abdomen, but a mere purse, or dilated state of the common integ- 
uments, exists, which, if necessary, can be sloughed off by the 
application of a common pair of clams. 

Inguinal Hernia. 

"When rupture in the groin appears at birth, it is congenital, 
and consists of a portion of intestine, which has found its way 
through the inguinal canal (the channel through which the tes- 
ticle descends into the scrotum). 

Treatment. — This can readily be reduced by raising the animal 
by its hind legs, and giving it a few jerks upward. If the intes- 
tine slips down again, and the case requires it, I should castrate 
the animal, and put a stitch or two in the external ring, or else 
castrate by the clam method, which will produce considerable 
swelling, and block up the passage so that the bowel can not de- 
scend. The clams may be removed at the end of twelve hours. 

Strangulated Hernia. 

The intestine will occasionally descend into the scrotum, and 
become strangulated, so that it can not be returned. 

Treatment. — In a case of this character, the operator must dilate 
the ring (through which the intestine descended), by means of a 
probe-pointed bistoury. Having returned the bowel, let the ani- 
mal be castrated, and then apply the clams. Strangulated hernia 
occurring in any other part of the body must be treated as fol- 
lows : If the protruded bowel is tumefied in consequence of gas 
within, it may be punctured, in one or two places, by means of a 
suture-needle. This will allow the gas to escape. Then efforts 
should be made to return the protrusion. Failing to accomplish 
this object, in consequence of stricture or thickening of the walls 
of the abdomen, I should introduce the bistoury, and dilate the 



160 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

wound. The reader will infer, and rightly so, that I am alluding 
to a case in which there is an accidental external wound; other- 
wise it would constitute what is called ventral hernia. 



Ventral Hernia. 

This form of hernia consists of an escape of a portion of the 
intestines through a rent in the abdominal muscles, creating a 
tumor beneath the common integument. This tumor may exist 
for some time without affecting the animal's health, but when it 
increases in size, so as to be bulky, or becomes strangulated, an 
operation must immediately be performed. • In performing the 
operation, however, it must be borne in mind that the protruded 
bowel has pushed before it a portion of the peritoneum (the lining 
membrane of the cavity of the abdomen) ; therefore the intestine 
is contained in a sac, which should also be returned, along with 
the intestine, into the abdominal cavity. 

Treatment. — The mode of operation in cases of ventral hernia 
is to cast and etherize the animal. A semilunar incision is then 
made over the tumor, the convex border of the flap being down- 
ward. The panniculus carnosus (subcutaneous muscle), or super- 
ficial fascia, is also divided. A probe-pointed bistoury is then 
introduced between the bowel and edge of the wound. This must 
be dilated or made sufficiently large to allow the return of the 
intestine. The rent in the muscles is then to be strongly sutured, 
and one end of the suture should be left long enough to hang oi.it 
of the wound; the integuments are then to be brought together in 
the same manner, after which dress the wound with tincture of 
aloes. In the course of eight or ten days a pull may be made on 
the ends of the deep-seated sutures, to see if they are ready to 
come away, yet it is best not to remove them until they are quite 
loose. 

It is impossible in a work of this character to furnish the readei 
with all the information necessary to meet the emergencies which 
may occur in the various forms of hernia ; for their management 
and treatment require more than ordinary skill, and many persons, 
who consider themselves competent to prescribe for the ordinary 
diseases of cattle, are willing to acknowledge themselves at fault 
when consulted on the subject of rupture ; and, lest my own re- 
marks on this subject may prove of little avail in furnishing the 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 161 

husbandman, in the hour of need, the necessary instruction, I 
introduce the two following cases, selected from the " London 
Veterinarian." Mr. James Stowar furnishes the following case 
of strangulated hernia : 

"On the 17th of September, 1850, I was called to the farm of 
Ashogle, to see a cow which had been injured by the horns of 
another ; but, as I had left home that afternoon for a distance, 
and did not return until late next day, I did not see the cow until 
the 19th. I found her with a hernial tumor protruding from the 
right iliac, which remained covered within the skin, so large that 
a bushel measure would not have contained it. She was evidently 
in much pain while standing, and would stand only a very short 
time. I was told that she had eaten a good deal since the acci- 
dent, and, as a stoppage of the dung was observed, they had given 
her a pound of Epsom salts. Her abdomen was enormously dis- 
tended, notwithstanding the largeness of the hernial tumor. The 
non-escape of the feces was proof positive, under the circum- 
stances, of the hernia being strangulated. 

I had her laid on the left side, as carefully as possible, and, 
after every attempt to return the hernia by external manipulation 
had failed, I cut into the sac, and attempted to knead in, inch by 
inch, the gorged intestines; but in this, also, I failed. The hernial 
opening was large enough to admit three of my fingers, so that it 
was not want of room in that, but in the abdominal cavity, which 
was so fully distended by the intestines forming the hernia, that 
caused the difficulty. I had her laid upon her back, with her 
hind legs drawn up, so as to throw the contents of the abdomen 
as much as possible upon the diaphragm. Even then, however, 
I could not succeed. I therefore, with a sharp-pointed scalpel, 
cut into the intestine, and emptied it entirely of its semifluid 
contents, stitched up the wound, and washed it carefully, and so, 
ultimately, accomplished the reduction. With a strong cord I 
closed the hernial opening, as well as the one I had made through 
the skin, nine inches further up ; I then turned her on her left 
side, and in a few minutes the feces began to escape by their 
proper channel. I gave linseed oil, twenty ounces, and tincture 
of opium, one ounce. Next morning I found her up, stepping 
through the shed, inclined to eat, her bowels acting freely. I had- 
her tightly bandaged, to support the abdomen, and made an open- 
ing to allow the escape of discharge at the bottom of the sac. X 
11 



162 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

saw her daily for a week, and prescribed according to the state in 
which I found her. On the whole, her health proved good, and 
her wounds healed pleasantly. She was fourteen years old, and, 
like most cows, had a large belly. She fattened well, and was 
sold for the shambles in April. The butcher told the farmer that 
he found a" large abscess in her side when he cut her up." 

The next case is that of ventral hernia, furnished by Mr. G. 
Lewis : 

" In September last, I was requested to examine a heifer, which 
was said to have a ' swelling on her right side.' I found her with 
a pendulous bag, hanging very low on the right flank, and of an 
immense size. Upon a close examination of the parts, I ascer- 
tained that the enlargement was produced by an escape of the 
intestines through a rent in the abdominal muscles. I informed 
the owner that nothing short of an operation could be productive 
of benefit to the animal, and I also pointed out to him the nature 
of the case, and its probable results. 

According to the arrangement, the heifer was sent to me on 
September 6, when, after due preparation by medicine, etc., I had 
her cast and secured, and then carefully made an opening through 
the skin and panniculus muscle, immediately over the laceration 
in the other muscles, but a little longer than it. I thus exposed 
the rent which existed in the external and also the internal 
oblique. The edges of the aperture were very uneven and much 
thickened; and I may state in this place that the enlargement 
had been observed a month prior to this date. A large portion 
of the intestines were found to have escaped into the sac formed 
by the panniculus and common integument ; besides which, a con- 
siderable quantity of serous fluid existed beneath the skin, and 
externally to the panniculus, which had doubtless been thrown 
out by the injured vessels. 

The intestines being returned into the abdominal cavity, the 
edges of the laceration were brought together with strong metallic 
sutures, and properly secured. The external wound was then 
closed; and, before allowing the animal to rise, I passed a seton 
through the most depending portion of the integumental sac, with 
a view to give a gradual and continuous exit to the serous effu- 
sion. A compress was also placed upon the part to remove as 
much of the pressure of the viscera as possible, after which the 
animal was allowed to rise. 



HERNIA, OR RUrTURES, 



163 



For several days the bowels remained obstinately constipated, 
and some symptomatic fever was also present; but, by proper 
measures, these unfavorable symptoms were soon removed. The 
animal was allowed only linseed tea and thin gruel for a few days. 
Subsequently a large amount of serous fluid was discharged through 
the openings made for the introduction of the seton ; it however, 
soon ceased. The sutures also came away in due course, leaving 
but little appearance of the original injury." 




VIEW OF SOME OF THE SUPERFICIAL MUSCLES. 



SECTION XI. 

DISEASES OE THE BONES. 

Cachexia Ossafraga — Bone Disorders — Mechanism and Structure of Bones— 
Composition of Bones — Ultimate Constituents of Bones — Dilatation of the 
Jaw Bones — Abscess beneath the Periosteum, at the Angle of the Jaw — • 
Exostosis, or Deposit of the Calcareous Matter on the Surface of Bones 
— Caries, of Ulceration of Bones — Preliminary to Horn-Ail — On Sympa- 
thy and the Sympathetic Relations which exist in the Animal Economy— 
Horn-Ail — Tail-Ail. 

Cachexia Ossafeaga (the "Cripple").* 

" A LTHOUGH using this term as the title of my subject., I do 
XjL not consider it to give an idea of the exact character of the 
disease I am about to describe, but merely to convey an impression 
of a very prominent symptom of the disease. As many other 
maladies existing in different localities, this one is very differently 
treated of in our veterinary works. The inefficiency of our works 
on cattle medicine is sufficiently apparent to the practitioner, who, 
after a nominal term spent at college, enters into the world of 
medicine a sufficiently-educated person, as his diploma gives him 
to understand ; but how frequently is he wofully disappointed when 
called to any of the several enzootics in cattle which he finds have 
not been treated of, perhaps not mentioned either at college or in 
the books ! 

The present subject is one, among others, which is not discussed 
in British works on cattle medicine. It is a disease very preva- 
lent in many districts I am personally acquainted with, and in all 
of which it passes under the very expressive term of ' cripple/ the 
appearance of the animal fully confirming the term. It seldom 
happens that a solitary case occurs on a farm which is subject to it; 



(164) 



* P. Sarginson, V. S. 



DISEASES OF THE BOXES 165 

for all the milch cows, and perhaps some of the younger stock, are 
more or less affected by it. Such farms are considered to be of 
much less value than other places on which it does not occur, not 
only from the unthrifty condition of the stock, but also as regards 
fertility, as they are never found to be very productive, and among 
farmers they pass under the cognomen of i crippled places.' The 
disease will never be found to exist on farms that are fertile and 
rich ; in fact, a certain guide to the locale of this affection is to 
look out for farms that are situated on high lands, possessing 
stunted hedges and trees, a barren, or, at least, a poor soil, produc- 
ing a dry, short, and innutritious herb. On passing over the 
form, the limestone rock will, most generally, be seen to project 
out of the soil, proving that it is situated on the limestone ; or by 
examining the rivulets, if any, that flow through the farm, the 
water will appear to be beautifully transparent, so that the smallest 
pebble may be discerned on its bed. There is, also, in the gener- 
ality of instances, the limestone rock forming its bed. When this 
is present, any old farmer will tell you that the water which seems 
to be so limpid and pure is ' hard,' and that the cattle confined to 
it are certain to be crippled. I have, however, noted farms where 
the water which supplied them was charged with a carbonate of 
lime, and still no cripple exists on them. This is, undoubtedly, 
owing to the character of the soil, which, on examination, is found 
loamy and free, and lying on the red sandstone rock. I have also 
noticed ' cripple ' prevailing on farms supplied with water running 
over mosses, etc., which, from the experience of intelligent farm- 
ers, has been said to be antagonistic to this affection. This, in my 
opinion, is caused from the character of the soil proving to be of 
an undoubted calcareous character, intermixed with clay. Al- 
though it can not be doubted but that the water supplying farms 
impregnated with any principle of an injurious character will have 
an influence in the production of disease, yet, in the instances 
quoted, it appears that the character of the herbage produced on 
such farms either counteracted the injurious influence of the water, 
or, on the other hand, destroyed or overbalanced the influence of 
the mossy water. 

From what has been stated, it will be seen that the ' cripple' 
wil : and does exist on those farms where the soil is calcareous and 
clayey, and that it is evident that such soils are incapable of pro- 
ducing a succulent and healthy plant ; in fact, will the herb not be 



1Q6 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

surcharged with calcareous and silicious elements? and is there not 
a deficiency of azote-producing principles ? As it is well known 
that where nitrogen abounds a luxuriant herbage is the result, we 
need go no further in support of this than a farm on which an 
abundant supply of its manure is spread. How much more abun- 
dant and luxuriant is the character of the vegetation from the use 
of decomposed vegetable matter and animal excretse than from 
any thing else. If, therefore, the herb grown on these ' crippled 
farms ' be unhealthy, as there is little doubt, the animals partak- 
ing of such Avill, without doubt, in the course of time, have their 
systems seriously deranged, and the character of derangement will 
depend either upon an insufficient supply of nitrogenous material, 
inducing, consequently, emaciation and pure debility; or it may 
be that, where this deficiency of azotized material exists, the earthy 
salts may not exist in an abnormal degree, but still, from a want 
of other nutritious material to counteract their ill effect, the sys- 
tem may become charged with them„ When the herbage and other 
produce of the soil is charged with earthy salts, whether carbonates 
or silicates, they would, in all probability, become assimilated, or, 
at least, there would be a tendency to the deposition of these salts 
into the various textures, such as the cartilages, ligaments, and 
cardiac valves, etc., all of which lesions are apparent, to a greater 
or less degree, in all the animals which have died of this disease 
that I have examined. Some are of opinion that it is owing alto- 
gether to an excess of carbonate of lime in the soil and waters; 
but if this were the case, the character of the farm could not be 
altered, nor the disease be removed, as has been done, and which 
will be noticed hereafter. It is most probable, at least, as far as 
my humble opinion goes, that it is induced from the combined 
influence of poverty in the soil, and an excess of astringent salts, 
silicates, etc. When I refer to the poverty of the soil, it must not 
be understood that I mean an exhausted state of the soil, because 
many of those places have not been broken up with the plow to 
any extent. Many farmers are of opinion that the labor and ex- 
pense required in the cultivation of such lands would not be com- 
pensated by their produce. If it were turned up by the plow, the 
advantages it would derive from exposure to the atmosphere and 
rain-water would be considerable. 

There are many farms which are termed crippled farms, and 
many cattle called crippled, which are not really so. The mystery 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 167 

of this is easily explained. On strict inquiry, you will find that 
the reason the stock display so many of their bones, and walk off 
so stiff, is owing altogether to imperfect feeding. It answers as a 
good excuse for the farmer who overstocks his farm, and is thus 
compelled to serve out short rations, to say that it is the cripple 
(or any other name it may possess) that is the cause. The climate 
will, without doubt, have a great influence in modifying this dis- 
ease, as is shown by the greater severity in form on those lands 
that lie the highest, where the protection is scanty from the in- 
clemencies of the seasons. A fact connected with this affection is 
that when cattle are taken from those farms which are subject to 
it, even when suffering severely from it, to farms existing on the 
eastern banks of the river Eden (which flows through the vale of 
Westmoreland), they recover completely from its effects, and are 
perfectly free from a recurrence of the attack if they remain in 
that district. It is a common saying among farmers that ' there is 
no cripple on that side of Eden.' The character of these farms 
that are free from the affection is essentially different from those 
afflicted with it. They have a free, sandy, and rich soil, produc- 
ing excellent oats and rich meadow-grass, but their climate is 
colder, owing to their being situated near a range of mountains ; 
but if the cattle are brought on to those farms situated on the 
western bank of Eden, where the cripple prevails, they soon begin 
to show the symptoms of an attack. I do not include all the farms 
on the western bank, as some are perfectly free from it. 

From this instance, we may again be led to infer that the herb 
and water to which they had been previously subject were not 
sufficiently nutritious, or else impregnated with some injurious 
matter, because, on removal to farms producing a superior herbage, 
they have recovered, sometimes in an incredible short time, for the 
sad state they were in. On all these crippled places cows that 
yield a great quantity of milk are the soonest attacked, and the 
farmer knowing this will not take such to his farm, because he 
would soon have to ' dry ' them, or they would rapidly fail ; but 
animals that have been reared on these places are less liable to its- 
attack, and are seldom so severely afflicted by it. 

Many have confounded this affection with rheumatism, but it is,, 
without doubt, a distinct disease in character, as in no case of 
cripple will be seen the acute symptoms and fever which exist in, 
both the acute and chronic form of rheumatism. In those cases 



168 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

■where suppuration exists in the joints, and the limbs even rot off, 
it is, in my opinion, produced from the friction of the joint from 
ossified cartilage, and an evident deficiency of synovia, these in- 
ducing a local inflammation altogether differing from the peculiar 
characteristics ol rheumatism, and, unlike it, the osseous system 
seems to be the principal seat of disease. 

Some cattle evince a greater predisposition than others to an 
attack, as the elderly cow and the cow that yields a great quantity 
of milk. I have never noticed young calves become affected by 
it. Some have stated them to have been so, but, on inquiry, it 
has been found to be pure arthritis, or joint-felon, from cold and 
damp houses. While one of the stock of calves has been so af- 
flicted, the others were perhaps perfectly healthy. The symptoms 
vary in degree of virulence on different farms. Some farms have 
a very slight attack, while others are very severely afflicted with 
it ; but the symptoms will vary frequently on one farm, as, on en- 
tering a cow-house with a collection of ' crippled ' cattle, it will be 
seen that some are slightly affected, while others are evidently 
suffering greatly. The disease being of a subacute character, the 
period from its first appearance in an animal to its last stage occu- 
pies frequently some years, according to the vigor of their consti- 
tutions, and the mild or severe form of the disease. There is one 
farm I am acquainted with where the owner is compelled to change 
his stock every two years, to prevent heavy losses occurring. 

Symptoms. — In the primary stage of the disease the animal pre- 
sents a lean, emaciated condition. The bones in every part of the 
body are prominent ; the skin is tight, hard, and void of all sup- 
pleness; the hair presents a coarse appearance, standing almost 
straight up, having none of its naturally smooth character about 
it ; but if we see our patient walk, it will strike us that there are 
no joints in her limbs, as she is peculiarly stiff, knocking her 
hock-joints up against each other without any regard to the un- 
stateliness of the gait. She will, also, while walking, make an 
extaordinary cracking noise, showing an insufficiency of synovia 
to lubricate the joints; the pulse, on pressure, feels flaccid, but the 
-caliber is rather increased than diminished ; rumination is per- 
formed rather slow and sluggishly; appetite is not indifferent, 
eating her hay, straw, or turnips with a degree of zest. If we 
allow her to come in the neighborhood of the hedge where the 
farmer's wife has displayed her linen, she will indicate the phe- 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 169 

nomenon of bulimia or depraved appetite. She will seize with 
avidity the first article she reaches, and chew it with wonderful 
pleasure ; she will also hunt with avidity any sour or filthy liquids, 
even human urine, and drink them greedily; and when in the 
pasture will pick up a bone, if such can be found, and chew it for 
an hour at a time, seeming to enjoy the occupation. Stones, iron, 
sticks, clothes, etc., are all alike objects of attraction to her. This 
peculiar habit is attributable, I should think, to acidity of the 
stomach. The farmer imagines that a sod, cut from a field and 
placed before her, will palliate her affection, and the cow, to ap- 
preciate his kindness, commences to lick it, and even to devour the 
soil that is on it. I have noticed them chewing these different 
articles, and never saw one display any anxiety to swallow the 
object, but merely a desire of chewing. When such articles are 
swallowed, it will, I think, be more accidental than intentional 
on the part of the animal, but I can not be positive on this point. 
They show a particular desire to chew articles of clothing, as is 
testified by a person going to a stall-head between two of them. 
They will immediately seize his dress and chew it. The bowels 
are always more or less constipated, and the secretion of milk is 
partly checked, although but slightly. They may continue in 
this manner for a longer or shorter period, according to constitu- 
tion and external circumstances, before they display any of the 
worst symptoms concomitant on the termination of the disease. 
It is a gradual declining from the primary symptoms to those of 
a more fatal character. These may be marked by the appearance 
of tumors over the hips or stifle-joints, or, perhaps, a tumefaction 
extending from the stifle to the hock-joint, which, in the course 
of time, suppurates. In the mean time, the system, it is evident, 
is sinking. The pulse is flaccid, but still retains its caliber, al- 
though accelerated ; appetite is impaired, and rumination is per- 
formed very lazily ; constipation, if a milch cow ; the milk is now 
wholly suspended, or nearly so. If, perchance, the animal has 
swallowed any irritating or indigestible substance, which is almost 
always the case, the symptoms of indigestion will be more severe, 
with perhaps an intermittent pulse, great lameness, increasing to 
such an extent that the animal is either unwilling or incapable of 
rising ; or, perhaps, on closer examination, some bone will be 
found to have become fractured, either the scapula, femur, or the 
pelvis, or it may have occurred in any other bone, as there is the 



170 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

same tendency in all the bones to fracture, although the animal is 
fastened up in his stall, and, therefore, not subject to any of the 
ordinary causes of fracture. 

I recollect a case in which the animal could not stand. On ex- 
amination, it was found that the radius and ulna were completely 
fractured ; next clay the scapula and femur were broken ; in fact, 
one after another, all the bones of the limbs became fractured, 
until the animal died from the extent of irritative fever set up, 
consequent on the fractures. Another instance of this brittleness 
of bone: A milch cow was purchased as perfectly sound. She 
was poor, and the excuse was that she was rather crippled. A 
fair price was paid for her. She walked to her new home ex- 
tremely stiff and lame. Next morning I saw her, and found the 
os ilium fractured ; afterward the femur broke, and she died. 

In the greater part of cases the brittleness of bone is present, 
and in such I never noticed any suppurative tumors, excepting 
some cases where the joints were affected, and opened from local 
inflammation. On examining some cases after death, I found at- 
tenuation of muscles, the bones polished at their extremities, and 
brittle. In some rare cases exostosis may be noticed on the body 
of the bone, but such are scarce. On the epiphyses of the bones, 
however, they will frequently be found, more especially at the 
lower extremity of the tibia. Sometimes they have existed to such 
an extent as to anchylose the hock-joint. In all the articulations 
there is evident deficiency of synovia. The different articulatory 
cartilages displayed an undoubted tendency during life to the depo- 
sition of osseous matter in them, as all of them possessed a degree 
of hardness inconsistent with nature. 

In regard to prevention, it will be evident enough that the re- 
moval of the animal from the innutritious farm to one of a richer 
and more luxuriant character will be attended with the greatest 
benefit. Many cases have been recruited even when the animal 
has been compelled to lie and eat. An important fact I wish to 
mention here is, that there are some two or three large farms in 
this neigh borhood which were formerly severely afflicted with this 
disease ; but now, since they have become possessed by enterprising 
agriculturists, the disease is much abated, in fact, proving a very 
rare visitor, although these farms possess the characteristics pre- 
viously described as ' crippled places,' and were, in fact, situations 
where this disease prevailed to a serious extent. The means whicb 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 171 

have been resorted to by these men were irrigation and extensive 
use of artificial and other manures on the farms, thus altering the 
character of the herbage, as it is not only more luxuriant, but evi- 
dently of a more succulent and nutritious character. They also 
cultivate a good quantity of the mangel-wurzel and linseed for 
consumption by the stock. These articles were never known on 
the farms while suffering from ' cripple/ These means have evi- 
dently produced a wonderful eifect, as they are seldom if ever af- 
flicted with it. As the disease is found to be worse during the 
autumn and winter seasons, when the cattle are brought in to dry 
food, the necessity of a succulent diet is obvious ; but still I have 
seen many bad cases during summer, on farms where the soils were 
calcareous or clayey. Where there is a scanty supply of turnips, 
and where oil-cake or other of these useful articles of diet are 
scarce, the ' cripple ' will be the most severe. In a word, to pre- 
vent it, soft nutritious diet, as turnips, mangel-wurzel, oil-cake, 
etc., must be resorted to; and the hay or straw with which the 
animals are supplied should not be the stunted and dry material 
which is produced by those lands on which the i cripple ' is known 
to exist, but such as is produced by the plentiful use of artificial 
and other manures, to counteract the tendency of the soil to pro- 
duce a dry and stunted herb. The use of crushed oats and barley, 
along with other nutritious food, will, in the course of time, have 
a very beneficial effect also. 

When the practitioner is sought to a case of confirmed ' cripple/ 
where the preventive means have not been resorted to, it will be 
necessary to employ more active measures. Many remedies have 
been tried, with more or less benefit, according to the advance- 
ment of the disease, where the cachexia ossifraga is so predom- 
inant, and one bone becoming rapidly fractured after another, the 
case may be looked upon as altogether hopeless; but in those 
cases where the tendency to fracture is not so great, the animal 
may be recruited most generally. In recommending remedies for 
a disease possessing different phases, it is necessary to apply those 
means which seem most applicable to the one particular case in 
hand. Many disappointments have originated from the reported 
success of a particular remedy from parties who, no doubt, did 
succeed with it, while others, without taking into consideration 
the modifications of the disease, ruled by circumstances, climate, 
etc., have unmistakably failed, although the same remedy may 



172 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

have been employed, thus showing that one remedy may succeed 
admirably in one district, while in another it is sometimes nearly 
useless. 

Treatment. — The means which I have seen applied with success, 
according to the modification of the disease, were, in the cases 
where the attack is primary, the use of malt ale, administered in 
pint doses every night for a length of time; water acidulated 
with sulphuric acid, diluted, or with nitric acid, allowing the 
animal no other water to drink excepting this; also administer- 
ing the diluted sulphuric acid, twice daily; and where constipa- 
tion is threatened by its use, it must be obviated by a laxative 
diet. Hydrochloric acid and nitric acid have been used, but the 
preference is given to the sulphuric. Sulphate of soda, in quarter- 
pound doses, combined with vegetable tonics, will sometimes be 
found useful. Camphor, in large doses, combined with tonics, 
given in cold ale instead of gruel, have been attended with good 
success ; also, the use of a decoction of the willow or poplar barks, 
given in pint doses, will be found an admirable tonic for advanced 
cases. As to the use of sedatives, the animal rapidly sinks under 
their influence. The only class of medicines that have been the 
most successful were tonics. There are many cases of chronic 
rheumatism and arthrites that have been confounded with cripple, 
but any one acquainted with these diseases will readily recognize 
an essential difference between them. But, in fact, every remedy 
will be comparatively useless unless the animal be put upon a 
more nutritious diet — a diet free from astringent qualities." 

Bone Disorder. 

During the past few years I have noticed a number of articles 
in our agricultural periodicals referring to a disease named by the 
writers "■ Bone Disorder." The name, as the reader will perceive, 
does not throw the least ray of light on the pathology of the mal- 
ady ; in fact, it savors strongly of the so-called " horn-ail " and 
*' tail-ail" — terms which apply to symptoms rather than to any 
real disorder. One writer informs us that when an animal be^ 
comes the subject of bone disorder, " the bones threaten to cave 
in — have wasted away." If they do threaten to cave in, the best 
method I am acquainted with to insure an opposite tendency, is 
to promote the healthy functions of the body, and thus keep dis- 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 173 

ease and the cattle separate. If the bones waste away, and then 
assume their original shape by merely feeding bone meal, as the 
writers contend, then the bones of cattle must possess some pecu- 
liarities that I have never, in my professional capacity, been able 
to discover. 

If the animals recover (as we are told they do), then it might 
be inferred that the bones possess properties analogous to that of 
the soft tissues — an inference which the reader knows is not 
correct. I would observe, however, that all parts of the animal 
organism undergo a very perceptible augmentation, and decrease 
or waste. Thus, up to the period of adult life, all parts of the 
animal frame increase in bulk, and give to the animal that rotund 
and symmetrical appearance which attracts the eye of all those 
who love to admire the works of Nature ; but, at last, old age 
comes on, which is attended by a gradual waste or shrinkage. 
This occurs, however, more in the muscles than in the bones; 
yet the latter undergo some condensation, which may possibly 
lessen their volume. This, however, is a physiological result, the 
work of uncompromising Nature, over which human agency (bone 
meal included) has not the least control. 

Whenever the bones do become diseased, it is the result of he- 
reditary predisposition, of local injury, or of impaired digestion. 
So far as my inquiries have extended in relation to the character 
of the so-called bone disorder, I infer that it is a disease of a de- 
bilitating character, originating, in most cases, in the digestive 
and nutritive organs affecting not only the bones but various 
other tissues of the body, and, therefore, the only rational plan of 
treatment consists in improving the general health of the animal. 
The ways and means of accomplishing this very desirable result 
are as various as the causes which occasion the derangements. If 
it be evident (as the bone disorder theorists contend) that the 
animal organism, in such cases, is deficient in phosphate of lime, 
I have no objection to offer against the popular custom of giving 
the patient a few doses of bone meal ; for, whenever there shall 
be a deficiency of carbon in the system, bone meal may be useful 
in supporting pulmonary combustion, and thus insure healthy 
action of the organs and functions of the animal economy; yet I 
would suggest to the intelligent reader that as bruised oats, ground 
corn, and linseed meal contain a large amount of phosphates, they 
should be selected in preference to bone meal, which I think is 



174 



DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



more valuable as a remedial agent for a carnivorous than for a 
herbivorous animal. 

As I understand the complex theory of digestion, the value of 
food or remedial agents is in exact ratio to their adaptation for 
assimilation ; so that if their elements are only held in union by 
an uncomplex chemical affinity, as is the case with all vegetable 
productions known as food, their solution is easily and promptly 
effected by the ordinary process of insalivation, mastication, and 
remastication ; but bone meal (a popular remedy) is actually an 
animal production, (vegetable matter animalized,) and, in order 
to convert the same into the component parts of the cow's struc- 
ture, it will perhaps require more chemico-vital force to effect the 
solution than when oatmeal, etc., are used, the chemical affinity 




PELVIS AND BIBS DISEASED AND DISTORTED. 



here being weaker than is the case with bones. In the treatment 
of any and every disease, it is usual to endeavor to ascertain the 
direct causes, and, if possible, effect their removal, and whatever 
seems to be indicated Ave are justified in supplying; so that if 
phosphates are indicated, they may be prescribed ; yet in cases of 
emaciation, when weakness and debility preside, I should prefer 
to use nutritious food, tonics, and stimulants, instead of bone 
meal. Why not add the bone meal to the barnyard manure? 
In this way the animal would get the benefit of it in the form of 
fodder. 

In reference to a deficiency of phosphate of lime in the milk, 
which the writers alluded to have noticed, I remark that it may, 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 175 

in part, arise from functional derangement in the digestive organs 
(in such cases a large quantity of phosphate, etc., is expelled from 
the system in the excrement) ; or the fodder itself may be deficient 
in its usual yield of phosphate of lime. We then have an evi- 
dence of vegetable disease, for I believe that the phosphate of lime 
is as necessary for the growth and integrity of the plant as it 
seems to be for the same purposes in the animal kingdom. But I 
believe that the plant can not lack phosphates without there being 
a corresponding deficiency in several other constituents which go 
to form the healthy vegetable ; so that, in such cases the disease is 
general, not local. The plant is not fiber-sick nor the cow bone- 
sick, but, in both cases, (the food of each being innutritions,) de- 
bility is the disease. 

It is well known that successive cultivation exhausts the soil, 
and uses up the constituents necessary for the growth and maturity 
of grains and fodder ; yet the pastures and plowed land might be 
made to yield good crops and rich harvests by depositing in the 
soil (in the form of animal excrement, straw, wood, ashes, lime, 
charcoal, etc.,) as much as we take out of it. The soil can not 
create any thing of itself; therefore an increase in crops can only 
be obtained by adding more of certain agents to the soil than we 
take out of it. 

"In Flanders the yearly loss of the necessary matters in the 
soil is completely restored by covering the fields with ashes of 
wood or bones, which may or may not have been lixiviated. The 
great importance of manuring with ashes has been long recog- 
nized by agriculturists as the result of experience. So great a 
value, indeed, is attached to this material, in the vicinity of Mar- 
burg' and in the Wetterau, (two well-known agricultural districts,) 
that it is transported, as a manure, from the distance of eighteen 
or twenty-four miles. Its use will be at once perceived, when it 
is considered that the ashes, after being washed with water, con- 
tain silicate of potash exactly in the same proportion as in the 
straw, and that their only other constituents are salts of phos- 
phoric acid." 

It is a fact well-known to husbandmen, that some breeding 
cows do not come up to the standard of health or fair condition, 
although they are fed from the cream of the crib, on the best kind 
of fodder. The inference is that the digestive organs are not in 
working condition; therefore, in such cases, the food operates as 



176 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

an exciting cause of disease. The effects of cheap and damaged 
food are too well known. Poor food is dear at any price which 
may be asked for it. It may not furnish sufficient carbon ; if so, 
the animal is deprived of the power of reproducing itself, and 
must, eventually, suffer. 

Mechanism and Structure of Bones. 

Bones have many things in common with the soft tissues and 
organs; for example, arteries, veins, nerves, lymphatics, and a 
connecting cellular web. Their structure, in the embryotic state, 
is highly vascular, yielding, and gelatinous. They have exter- 
nally a fibrous investment, known as periosteum, which is well 
supplied with arteries, veins, nerves, and absorbents; and it is 
through the intervention of this fibrous tunic that the vessels 
proper to bones reach their ultimate destination. On the interior 
surface of hollow bones we find a membrane of similar structure, 
only more delicately organized. The cavity of the shaft-bones ia 
usually occupied by a quantity of adipose matter, known as mar- 
row. This is inclosed in laminated cells, and is supposed to be a 
sort of aliment in reserve, to provide against accidental emer- 
gencies of non-nutrition. 

Composition of Bones. 

Bones consist of two constituents ; namely, animal basis and cal- 
careous matter. In the healthy adult the proportions are as follows : 

Animal matter 33-^ per cent. 

Calcareous matter 66| " '• 

Total 100 

Ultimate Constituents of Bones. 

The ultimate constituents of bones are gelatine, animal matter, 
carbonate, phosphate, and fluate of lime, phosphates of soda, and 
magnesia. Their growth, like that of shells, is effected by the 
addition of new tissues to that already formed. Bones which have 
a central cavity are protected internally by cartilaginous fibers or 
unions; hence they expand or burst so soon as their cartilaginous 
braces are decomposed by a diseased condition of the parts. 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 177 



Dilatation of the Jaw Bones. 

This disease seems to be more prevalent among horses than 
cattle. In equine practice it is termed " big head ; " in bovine 
practice we call it spina ventosa (a bony tumor, in which the in- 
terior of the bone is absorbed, leaving a mere shell of bone, divided 
into cells, containing purulent, cheesy matter) ; but perhaps " di- 
latation of bone" will give the reader a better idea of the character 
of the disease than any other term. On inspecting the jaw bones 
of cattle, the subjects of dilatation, we find the greatest enlarge- 
ment at the angle of the lower jaw. On cutting into the same, 
its cavity is occupied by a preparation resembling soft cheese. On 
removing this, it is discovered that the cartilaginous braces which 
hold the sides of the bone together are decomposed; hence the 
dilatation. This foreign material often degenerates into true 
pus, and burrows through the bones toward the surface. In 
this condition a fluctuating tumor can be felt at the angle of the 
jaw. 

Sometimes the bones of the jaw appear to have lost their cohesive 
firmness and vitality ; they then border on a state known as ne- 
crosis. Now, if a portion of bone in this condition be macerated, 
for only a short time, in a weak solution of muriatic acid, it can 
be rolled up like a piece of paper, showing that it is deficient in 
calcareous matter; but if it takes a day or more to put the bone 
in this condition, the experiment would not be of much Value, as 
all bones can be more or less softened by means of weak acids. 

Treatment. — Having ascertained that the osseous structure is de- 
ficient of earthy matter, and that the animal matter preponderates, 
we are then in possession of facts which can be used to great ad- 
vantage in preventing the malady, and perhaps treating it in its 
early stage. The remedies are phosphate of lime, vegetable tonics,, 
and stimulants. I use them in the following form : 

Phosphate of lime 6 oz. 

Powdered golden seal 2 oz. 

Powdered sassafras 3 oz. 

Powdered ginger 2 oz. 

Oatmeal 4 lbs. 

Mix. 

This is to be divided into sixteen parts, one of which may be j 
incorporated with the food every night. I recommend the medir- 
12 



173 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

cine in this form because it is calculated to give tone to the func- 
tion of nutrition. 

It is well known that the maintenance of the functions of ani- 
mal life are almost entirely dependent on the due performance of 
the nutritive operations, and, therefore, the integrity and properties 
of all the hard as well as the soft tissues depend on their regular 
nutrition by a clue supply of perfectly elaborated blood. This can 
not be effected unless the functions of circulation, respiration, and 
secretion are performed with regularity. Circulation is necessary 
to convey a supply of nutritious fluid, and respiration and secretion 
separate the blood from its impurities. Therefore, in cases of this 
character, I advise stock-owners to endeavor to improve the gen- 
eral health of the patient by means just suggested, and also that 
they should see that the animal gets that kind of food which is 
rich in phosphates. 

It is very difficult to define the causes of this disease. It may 
originate in a peculiar morbid habit of body, or it may be the se- 
quence of faulty nutrition or hereditary predisposition. When an 
animal labors under any morbid habit of body he is in a state far 
removed from that of health, and various parts of the body be- 
come affected by the change ; and even should the power of form- 
ing good healthy blood remain, the organic force by which the 
constituents of blood are transformed into osseous structure must 
necessarily be enfeebled by the morbid habit, so that the power to 
produce metamorphoses is necessarily diminished. It is my opinion 
that big head usually commences in the fibrous tissues which are 
found in the internal surface of bones. A very peculiar feature 
of these fibrous tunics is, that when they once become diseased 
they run rapidly to purulency ; and this accounts for the large 
amount of purulent matter often found in the cavities of jaw bones 
when buried or exposed to a drying process. It is then, however, 
in a spongy state. 

A very distinguished French writer contends that " fibrous 
tunics or tissues hardly ever contribute to the formation of pus." 
This is evidently an error; for when the periosteum (covering of 
bones), which covers the fang of a tooth, and gives a lining to the 
cavity into which it is inserted, becomes inflamed, it suppurates, 
and the tooth has to be removed. I contend that it is the most 
common tissue that excites the flow of those exudations from arte- 
rial capillaries, which becomes converted into pus ; hence, in this 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 179 

way I account for the collections of pus often found on and under 
fibrous ligamentary tissues and coverings of muscles ; also upon 
and beneath the peritoseum, and in the vicinity of fibrous tissues 
in other parts of the system. 

The surgical treatment of a case of this kind is to liberate the 
pent-up pus or matter. With this object in view, I cast the subject, 
and, after having brought him under the influence of ether, I make 
an incision through the integuments, etc., and expose the bone; 
then, by means of a pair of common bone forceps, I make an 
opening into the same, liberate the imprisoned matter, and inject 
the cavity with pyroligneous acid. Having removed as much as 
possible of the morbid matter, I then cram the cavity with equal 
parts of powdered bloodroot and bayberry bark. The external 
wound must not be closed by suture, but left open, so as to allow 
of a free discharge from the parts ; for the healing process must 
begin at the upper part of the cavity, and the integument should 
be the last to heal. I continue to throw into the cavity, by means 
of a glass syringe, a small quantity of pyroligneous acid daily, 
until the discharge ceases. Then the parts are to be dressed with 
common tincture of aloes. After an operation of this character 
there will remain some enlargement of the tissual structures about 
the parts. This can gradually be reduced by a few applications of 
a portion of the following : 

Iodide of potassium 1 ' dr. 

Glycerine 1 oz. 

Mix, and keep the preparation in a glass vial, well corked. 



Abscess beneath the Periosteum, at the angle of 
the Jaw. 

This is a very frequent and formidable disease among cattle, 
and is ofttimes occasioned by blows inflicted purposely or acci- 
dentally on a region known as the angle of the jaw. It is a 
formidable disease, because it frequently ends in caries or ulcera- 
tion of the jaw-bone. 

Symptoms. — It originates in an inflammatory condition of the 
periosteum, accompanied by a gradual enlargement at the angle 
of the jaw. It is Very painful, the animal being very unwilling 
to have the part handled. The pain is occasioned by distension 



180 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

of the periosteum, and this is sometimes found to be indurated or 
thickened. The animal does not eat as well as usual, in conse- 
quence of the pain occasioned by the act of mastication, and he 
generally labors under some degree, more or less severe, of febrile 
excitement. Ordinarily it is a very easy matter to detect the pres- 
ence of pus in any of the superficial regions ; but in this, located 
directly on the bone, and covered by a ■ fibrous membrane which 
only admits of a limited amount of distension, it is very difficult 
for an unskillful person to discover it ; yet, if the above symptoms 
are observed, I should decide that there is pus beneath the perios- 
teum. 

Treatment. — No treatment is of any advantage except that of 
making a free opening through the skin, muscle, and periosteum, 
and thus insuring a complete discharge of the morbid matter; 
and the sooner this is clone the better, for it will relieve the ani- 
mal of much suffering and prevent ulceration of the jaw-bone. 
Very little after-treatment is required. It is only necessary to 
cleanse the part daily, and dress with tincture of matico. 

Exostosis, or deposit of Calcareous Matter on the 
surface of bones. 

Exostosis signifies an unnatural growth of bone, or deposit of 
calcareous matter on the surface of bones. Among horses this 
disease occurs in the form of splent, spavin, and ring-bone. It 
is very seldom that cattle are treated for this affection; for the 
deformity is so slight, and the lameness so obscure, in consequence 
of the slow motions of the animal, that very little notice is taken 
of it. 

Treatment. — The proper mode of treatment is to apply, daily, 
a small quantity of iodide of glycerine, prepared as follows : 

Iodine 1 dr. 

Glycerine 1 oz. 

Mis. 

Apply by means of a small piece of sponge. This is to be 
applied daily for a period of two weeks, after which use acetic 
acid, one part ; water, six parts. With a portion of this sponge 
the enlargement until pain and lameness disappear. 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 181 

Caries, or Ulceration of Bones. . ' 

This is a very common disease among cattle, and is preceded by 
inflammation and suppuration. It sometimes proceeds from a blow 
received at the angle of the jaw; generally, however, it is a con- 
stitutional disease of a malignant character. 

Treatment. — In the first stages of this disease, the part being hot, 
painful, and tender, I should foment with warm vinegar, which 
will tend to hasten suppuration; then, having ascertained that 
there is some pus or matter locally imprisoned, the part must be 
freely punctured, the pus evacuated, and the cavity injected with 
pure pyroligneous acid. Supposing, or rather suspecting, the dis- 
ease to be constitutional, I should administer the following % 

Iodide of potassium. ...... ......... . 1 oz. 

Glycerine. 4 oz. 

Tincture of golden seal .............. 2 oz. 

Water. ..... . 2 qte. 

Mix. 

The dose is one-sixteenth part of the above quantity, to be ad- 
ministered daily. 

Preliminary to Horn-ail. 

Many very valuable animals die prematurely, under treatment, 
in consequence of mistaking symptoms for the disease. Before I 
discuss horn-ail, I propose to offer a few brief remarks on the 
subject of sympathy, so that the non-professional reader may be 
prepared to comprehend the why and wherefore of sympathetic 
diseases, as they occur in neat stock during the progress of pri- 
mary affections. 

On Sympathy and the Sympathetic Relations which 
Exist in the Animal Economy. 

The animal structures are so sympatheticalfy related to each 
other, and so dependent are various organs and functions on an 
equilibrium of vital action, based on the law of sympathy, that 
the animal economy, as a whole, may be said to compose a vast 
machine, the integrity of which depends on the free and full play 
of all parts composing its intricate mechanism. The media by 



182 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

which sympathy is aroused and maintained are the nerves. These 
originate from the brain and medulla spinalis, or spinal marrow. 
Ten pairs of nerves radiate directly from the brain, termed cere- 
bral; thirty-nine pairs from the spinal marrow, termed spinal. 
They are named after that of the region in which they are found ; 
hence we have seven pairs of nerves issuing from the cervical 
region (neck), eighteen from the dorsal (back), five from the lum- 
bar region, and five sacral, within the pelvis, four coccygeal — ■ 
making, in all, forty -nine pairs eerebro-spinal nerves. They are 
distributed from each side of the spine to various parts of the 
body, and their terminations are called " sentient," this being the 
seat of sensation. 

The most important nerve, however, for our consideration, is 
the sympathetic. It is supposed by some writers to be in itself a 
complete nervous system. It originates in a branch issuing from 
the base of the brain, and communicates with every other nervous 
filament of the body. The connection takes place in the follow- 
ing manner: The sympathetic nerve has, at various points, a 
number of gangliform plexuses. From these thread-like fila- 
ments arise, which radiate and connect with similar ganglions 
found on the cerebral and spinal nerves. On these divergent fila- 
ments we have other ganglionic structures, wl;ich send branches 
to the liver, spleen, kidneys, etc. The sympathetic nerves of one 
side amalgamate with those of the opposite, and this is their mode 
of communication. The nerves of the sympathetic system possess 
a certain degree of power in exciting muscular contractions, as 
well as sympathetic actions, in the various parts to which they are 
distributed. Carpenter has observed that, by "irritating a 
branch of the sympathetic nerve, immediately after the death of 
an animal, contractions may be excited in any part of the alimen- 
tary canal from the pharynx to the rectum, according to the 
trunks which are irritated ; in the heart, after its ordinary move- 
ments have ceased ; in the aorta, vena cava, and thoracic duct ; in 
the ductus choledochus, uterus, fallopian tubes, vas deferens, and 
vesiculse seminales, etc. It is probable that the sympathetic 
system not only thus brings the organic functions into relation 
with the animal, but that it also tends to harmonize the former 
with each other, so as to bring the various acts of secretion, nutri- 
tion, etc., into mutual conformity." 

There are several orders of sympathetic nerves. Some pass 



Diseases of the bones. 183 

into the parenchyma of the organic viscera, and others are dis- 
tributed on the outer coats of arteries, continuing, throughout 
their minute capillary structures, into the papillse. By this ar- 
rangement the harmony between the internal, external, and remote 
parts is perpetuated. 

Correct knowledge regarding the sympathetic relations peculiar 
to animal organization seems absolutely necessary, in order to 
correct the erroneous impressions that some persons have formed 
of the nature and seat of disease incidental to horses and cattle, 
and, in this view, I offer these preliminary remarks as introduc- 
tory to the subjects of "horn and tail-ails" (imaginary diseases, 
which oftentimes, perhaps always, are the result of a fertile im- 
agination, or, rather, a sequence of that faulty mode of reasoning 
which confounds effects with causes). Any person conversant 
with the sympathetic relations existing in the animal economy, 
can readily discover the difference between a pathological condi- 
tion and the local or general symptoms which usually accompany 
it. An animal, for example, is attacked with acute disease of the 
liver. He evinces signs of pain from pressure on the right or 
off side, in the region of the liver, and, possibly, the lameness is 
of so grave a character as to mislead the non-medical observer, 
and he necessarily concludes that the subject is lame, "and noth- 
ing more." He prescribes an external remedy, accordingly, which 
is neither calculated to cure nor palliate the liver difficulty. Thus, 
for want of the necessary knowledge, the symptoms are mistaken 
for the disease. 

In derangement of the digestive organs, more particularly of 
the stomach, the brain is usually sympathetically affected. The 
symptoms of disturbance in that organ, or its functions, may 
escape the attention of the "cow-leach," yet they are always 
present, and range from what has been observed as "dullness" 
up to somnolency, accompanied by other morbid phenomena well 
understood by the physician. A knowledge of these and other 
sympathetic relations existing throughout the animal economy, 
enables us to understand what occasions vomiting in a man when 
a blow of sufficient force is received on the skull. The blow 
arouses a certain set of involuntary operations which the subject 
is unable to control, as in the cases of vomiting, etc. It explains, 
also, why giddiness or vertiginous symptoms usually follow when 
a blow is received on the region of the stomach; how the impreg- 



184 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

natecl uterus influences the mammse and stomach, causing increase 
of function and volume in the former, and morning nausea in the 
latter ; how a diseased condition of the internal mucous membrane 
reacts on the common integument, and vice versa. Even in the 
osseous structures the law of sympathy prevails. A disease in 
the upper extremity of the bone gives rise to sympathetic pain at 
the opposite extremity. And as regards the muscles and tendons, 
there exists a very marked sympathy, although in the mind of 
pathologists this is not strange, for, anatomically considered, the 
tendons are neither more nor less than tendinous terminations of 
muscles. Puncture of a tendon is often followed by great de- 
rangement of the nervous system, and other pathological condi- 
tions, not unfrequently ending in trismus (lock-jaw.) This is 
owing to the same law of sympathetic association just alluded to. 
There is, . therefore, a tendency in certain organs to become de- 
ranged or diseased in consequence of a malady locating in others, 
although they may not always be identical in function. 

Horn-ail. 

Persons who are in the habit of prescribing for sick brutes, and 
have never made themselves acquainted with the sympathetic 
relations existing in the animal economy, to which I have re- 
ferred, are liable to commit errors in diagnosing disease, and, 
when questioned regarding the seat of the same, their opinion 
generally is that the suffering animal has either the horn-ail or 
tail-ail. The idea, in almost all cases, is so supremely absurd, 
that, if any thing other than a living animal were the subject of 
the barbarities which, according to mistaken notions of cure, are 
sure to follow, I should feel disposed to burlesque the whole pro- 
cedure regarding both horn-ail and its treatment. In my opinion, 
horn-ail, in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, exists only in 
the imagination of those persons who allow error to overcome 
their better judgment, or else they have not given the subject a 
passing thought ; therefore, they are incompetent to even guess at 
the true nature of the malady with any chances of correctness. 
No allusion, that I am aware of, has ever been made by the 
authors of standard works or text-books on veterinary science, to 
horn-ail ; and if educated veterinary surgeons were as numerous 
here as in England or France, and they had the same means to 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 185 

reach the ears and the understandings of our husbandmen, the 
latter would soon be convinced of the absurdity which is here 
described, and, consequently, be induced to protect their animals 
from that species of cruel quackery or ignorance which would 
refer all their aches and diseases to horns or tails, and which sanc- 
tions the boring of the former, and curtailing or docking the 
latter. 

The pathological conditions on which the absurd theory of 
horn-ail seems to be founded are heat or coldness of the horns. 
These are the principal, and, in fact, only symptoms which the 
unlearned expounders of a popular malady have given us; but 
every one ought to be aware that variations in the temperature 
of a part so inferiorly organized as the horns are is no criterion 
as regards the nature of the disease which occasions, in this 
vicinity, merely an increase or decrease of temperature. The 
actual disease which occasions a loss or increase of temperature of 
the external surface of the body, horns included, may be, and 
often is, located in either the brain, stomach, or bowels, and at 
other times is the result of local congestions of the lungs and other 
parts — mere effects — the results of preexisting disease; therefore, 
I contend that the term horn-ail, when used to express the con- 
dition of parts sympathetically affected or aroused, throws no 
light on the true nature of the disease under which the animal 
labors. 

I shall contend that neither the augmentation nor decrease in 
the temperature of the horns constitutes actual disease of the same, 
but may indicate a loss of equilibrium in the circulation of blood. 
If the horns are at fever-heat, and the surface of the body be cool, 
we know that the brain or its membranes may be actively or 
passively congested. On the other hand, should the horns and 
the extremities be cold, it goes to prove that the animal is the sub- 
ject of internal congestion or disease. But why locate it in the 
horns, when in the animal economy are found so many hundred 
parts, sections, and divisions of parts, more important, sensitive, 
and of vastly more consequence to the preservation of vital integ- 
rity, than the horns? The variations in the temperature of the 
horns and other parts of the body, which the horn-ail theorists 
neglect to notice, enter into a class of symptoms from and by means 
of which an educated surgeon makes up an intelligent and correct 
diagnosis, and, consequently, are only of value, in point of fact, in 



186 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

so far as they go to show the actual state of the whole animal 
mechanism. The proposition admits of the following appropriate 
and convincing illustration : A man is attacked with acute disease 
of the liver, and almost always experiences a pain in the right 
shoulder, a purely sympathetic affection. Now, it would be very 
ridiculous for a physician to overlook the diseased condition of the 
liver, and merely prescribe for the sympathetic shoulder-lameness, 
and call it " shoulder-ail." Such ignorance is calamitous, but does 
not often occur when the educated physician is employed ; otherwise 
it does, and many such cases are quite fresh in my memory. Now, 
instead of prescribing local agents, as some have done, in view of 
mitigating sympathetic local pain, would it not be more in accord- 
ance with reason and science to administer medicinal agents, such 
as are calculated to restore the liver to a natural physiological con- 
dition ? A man who thus ignorantly prescribes falls into the same 
error with him who would refer all diseases of neat stock to their 
horns or tails, merely because the parts are not in their natural 
physiological condition, owing, as I have said, to actual disease 
seated elsewhere. Thus the symptoms are mistaken for the dis- 
ease, and the treatment, in so far as boring, sawing off horns, and 
curtailing the caudal appendage is concerned, is highly injurious, 
barbarous, and, in these enlightened times, deplorable. 

It requires no argument to convince many men that horn-ail is 
a very prevalent disease, for the false doctrine has been promul- 
gated, and has received attention from men whose domains extend 
from Maine to California. The error has been sown broadcast, 
and has acquired such hold on the minds of some that it will take 
many years to root out the evil. One writer on this subject, be- 
lieving that horn-ail is a sort of national disease, recommends the 
barn-yard faculty (for no regular physician will heed his advice) 
to carry gimlets in their pockets, so that they may be armed and 
equipped to encounter and subdue that which is more imaginary 
than real. 

I have made examinations of the bodies of cattle, subsequent to 
death, said to have died of horn-ail. Among them were evident 
traces of softening of the brain ; and this is a feature of disease 
very often present, as I shall attempt to show, in many of the so- 
called cases of horn-ail. Softening of the brain is a disease o£ so 
grave a character, that any morbid symptoms attending the same, 
as local heat or coldness of horns, might compare in the ratio of a 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 187 

mole-hill placed beside a mountain. Softening of the brain is 
the ultimatum of a grave disease occurring in that organ ; and if 
the owners of live stock are disposed to believe that horn diffi- 
culty is the most preponderant and alarming, and they can sleep 
gouudly in the belief that no danger threatens, then, " If igno- 
rance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." I can not indorse this sen- 
timent, however ; for, in this day of intellectual maturity, no one 
has a right to be a dunce in his chosen profession, nor a fool, to 
thwart the intentions of those who would substitute light for 
darkness. 

Softening of the brain is always preceded by acute, and, subse- 
quently, chronic, inflammation of the same or its investing tunics, 
and constitutes the last stage of disease ; so that the days of such 
a subject are numbered, and the man of gimlet and ignorance, 
armed with his munitions of warfare, treats the disease at long 
odds. He pockets the fees but loses the case. His patient, on 
which a too confiding owner has foolishly permitted him to prac- 
tice his cruelty and legerdemain, dies, and he knows not the why 
nor the wherefore. 

But, in order to convince the reader of the follies of the above 
practice, I offer the following illustration, from a reliable source. 
The case was diagnosed and treated as horn-ail. I quote from the 
u Southern Planter : " 

" After death, examined the head. Crest between horns per- 
fectly hollow. All the little divisions and offshoots of bone which 
are usually found in the cavity were removed, in a greater or less 
degree, and there were only the white of egg matter and pus. The 
horns, also, entirely hollow ; one of them filled with nearly a pint 
of lymphy and purulent matter. The cavity extending to the 
orbit of the eye, thence communicating with the nostrils, especially 
on one side. The brain, which lies in very near contact with this 
cavity of the crest (which we may as well call the frontal sinuses), 
was softened and fallen, in one hemisphere, into a thick mush. A 
small part only of this half was of healthy consistency, preserving 
its form or vessels entire. The other half (hemisphere) was not 
softened, but the vessels were very full of blood, and the mem- 
branes exhibited signs of intense inflammation. No other region 
or organs examined." 

In regard to this quotation I remark: It is very natural that 
the frontal sinuses should be hollow; for, if they were solid, the 



188 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

weight of the head would be enormous ; and I can readily per- 
ceive the wisdom of the Divine Artist in thus adapting the parts 
for the convenience of the animal, and relieving him of what, had 
it been otherwise, must have been a burden, and would have re- 
quired powerful muscles to support the head. The bones about 
the head are divided into two plates, separated by numerous vacui- 
ties or cells ; but, unlike those of the horse, they extend through 
the whole of the bone — nay, penetrate even through the parietal 
and occipital bones. Hence it happens that the frontal sinuses (so 
these cavities are called in cattle as well as the horse) extend from 
the angle of the eye to the very foramen through which the brain 
escapes from the skull — nay, to the very tip of the horn. Hence 
the parts may be said to be hollow ; and it is well that every farmer 
should know this, for some suppose them solid, and are very much 
surprised to find them hollow. On making a section of the horn, 
from tip to base, it will be found partly hollow, " having sinuses 
that extend almost to its tip." The lymphy and purulent matter 
found within the frontal sinuses and those of the horn, together 
with the softening of one hemisphere of the brain, proved that the 
parts were all involved in disease ; but then the disease never had its 
origin in the horn. The brain, or perhaps its membranes, were 
the primary seat of the aifection, and, after softening, (decompos- 
ing,) involved the surrounding parts in ruin. " The other half 
of the brain was not softened, but the vessels were full of blood, 
and the membranes exhibited signs of intense inflammation." 
Probably this was the state of affairs in the diseased hemisphere 
in its early stage, and some physical impediments to the return of 
blood from the brain had induced cerebral appolexy. The animal 
was in a plethoric state, " very fat." There was too great redun- 
dancy of blood — just the subject for such disease. Softening of 
the brain, I think, would be a better designation of the disease 
than "horn-ail." 

The editor of the " Planter," in a subsequent number of his 
journal, remarks: "The notion that this disease originates in the 
horn itself seems to us to be an error, resulting from that back- 
ward mode of reasoning which confounds symptoms with disease. 
The disorder in that organ, ' the horn/ should rather seem to be 
secondary. No less erroneous do we deem the opinion, held by 
some, that the horn becomes frost-bitten, and then putrifies. 
Though its whole inner surface is exceedingly vascular, yet it is 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 189 

perfectly protected by the almost insensible horny covering in 
which it is cased throughout, except only a very minute ring at 
its base, whose pulsations are the most accurate index of the pulse ; 
and that ring, hardly wider than a thread, can not be affected by 
cold. When it is considered that the horn is a substance of lower 
vitality than the hoof, which never becomes frost-bitten, even 
though chilled by an iron shoe, reason should teach us that it can 
not be injured by cold." 

A similar case occurred in the experience of the editor of the. 
" Planter/' which " ran to a speedy and fatal termination." Upon 
dissection of the head, the left hemisphere of the brain was found 
completely " broken down," or disorganized ; the base of the left 
horn was slightly implicated. The introduction of a gimlet, there- 
fore, into the horns of cattle thus affected, and afterward cramming 
in pepper, turpentine, and other foreign bodies, can not possibly 
reach the disease nor benefit the animal, but is apt to do much 
harm ; for puncture of the lining membrane of the frontal sinuses, 
"which generally takes place when the instrument is introduced 
near the base of the horn, is attended with danger, both as regards 
inflammation and hemorrhage; and it is just as unwise to fill the 
parts with pepper, turpentine, etc., in view of cure, as it would be 
if one of our own race were concerned. 

I now have an impression that the reader, like myself, has 
come to the conclusion that, in the generality of cases occurring 
among neat stock, the disease christenecl horn and tail-ails, is lo- 
cated elsewhere. Yet some persons contend that the practice, 
which I denominate as unscientific and barbarous, saves some of 
the afflicted animals. I have doubts about the treatment saving 
them. They may survive it ; for it is well known that both men 
and animals often recover after an unfavorable prognosis is made, 
and they will also survive very severe injuries, fractures, punc- 
tures, and formidable wounds, etc. ; so that health returns, in such 
cases, in spite of the violence opposed to it. Hence, if an animal 
should be restored to health, after having been compelled to sub- 
mit to the fashionable barbarities of horn-boring, that is no proof 
of the utility of the means used. 

If we could only collect all the facts in the case of an animal 
said to be the subject of horn-ail, we should probably discover 
that, in four cases out of five, the animal's stomach was the seat of 
the original difficulty, for the stomach is more frequently deranged 



190 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

than any other organ of the body; and it often occurs in this 
way: A man has a cow, an ox, or a lot of cattle, which he in- 
tends to bring to market, in view of exchanging them for dollars 
and cents. He puts them through (as the moderns have it) the 
fattening process, furnishing them with a superabundance of 
carbon, in the form of meal and other nitrogenous equivalents. 
The result is an accumulation of adipose tissue; the animal be- 
comes fat, and, consequently, plethoric. The accumulation of fat 
offers an impediment to the free and full play of the heart, lungs, 
and diaphragm; and, should the subject be a pregnant cow, she 
is liable, a few hours after the period of parturition, to be attacked 
with milk or puerperal fever, or convulsions ; therefore the lia- 
bility to disease in more important structures than the horns is a 
matter that I seriously urge our itinerant cattle doctors to consider. 

Neat stock are often the subjects of catarrh, (or " hoose," as it is 
termed,) nasal gleet, etc. In either case, a profuse discharge occurs 
from the surface of the nasal membrane, extending to the frontal 
sinuses, up to the very tip of some horns. This is often called 
horn-ail, and the gimlet is brought into requisition, and, on with- 
drawing it, some of the " matter " may possibly escape from the 
orifice ; hence the gimlet is said to do good. This I deny ; for 
the more rational way of favoring the discharge of the matter 
would be to steam the nostrils, and adopt such other means as the 
nature of the case may seem to require. 

Even granting what some contend for — namely, that an abscess 
occasionally forms in one of the nasal cavities — then it would not 
be proper to bore the horns, for the pus must necessarily be in- 
closed within a sac, which the gimlet may rupture. Then the 
morbid matter escapes into the frontal sinuses, and is apt to set 
up diseased action on the tissue with which it comes into contact. 
If it be ever necessary to puncture an abscess of this character, it 
should be done by way of the nostrils. Even should the animal 
labor under any disease located within the horns, the introduction 
of a gimlet would be a very unsafe remedy, as all veterinary sur- 
geons are ready to testify. It is a dangerous business to puncture 
a membrane so highly organized as that found within the frontal 
sinuses,* especially when so rude an instrument as a gimlet is 

* The gimlet, before it enters the lining membrane of the parts (termed 
schneiderian), must necessarily puncture a highly vascular membrane (termed 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 191 

used. The instrument must lacerate the parts, and induce severe 
inflammation and suppuration ; consequently, it is better calcu ■ 
lated to produce disease in this region than to cure one existing 
there. 

I have examined many animals after their horns have been 
bored, and have always found an undue degree of heat in the 
cranial region ; throbbing pulsations about the base of the horn, 
and a general disturbance of the functions; sometimes an accu- 
mulation of pus within the cavity. Then, again, internal hem- 
orrhage, effusion, etc., of blood, are apt to occur after boring the 
horns; and every intelligent physician would be unwilling to 
incur the risk attending it. Many a valuable animal has been 
lost by hemorrhage, following fracture, puncture, and sawing off 
the horns. 

Horn-ail is said to be so prevalent among neat stock, that the 
farmer (in the imaginative mood) fears it as he would the plague. 
And the only remedy for this lamentable state of ignorance is for 
farmers to use their reason, godlike and rational, and avail them- 
selves of the experience of those competent to diagnose disease by 
its concomitant and persistent symptoms. • We are now in pos- 
session of facts showing that the introduction of a foreign body 
(a gimlet) may induce a formidable disease; therefore, it should 
never be used. 

Among the diseases mistaken for horn-ail I name indigestion ; 
and this disease is almost as prevalent among neat stock as it 
proves to be among the members of the human family in this 
country. Loss of cud, or a cessation of rumination, is one of the 
principal symptoms of acute indigestion. I made an autopsy, in a 
case of this character, only a short time ago, and found the aboma- 
sum, or fourth compartment of the stomach, enormously distended 
with food, and, on removing the same, the mucous membrane 
readily peeled off. I particularly pointed out to the owner 
of the animal the pathological appearances as they occurred ; 
but, as he had made up his mind, and the neighbors confirmed 
his opinion that the animal was the subject of horn-ail, he still 
believes that the trouble first commenced in the horns, which had 
been bored in several places. 

periosteum), the external covering of the bony column, and inflammation and 
suppuration may be the consequence, ending in altered structure. 



192 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

I am not contending that the vascular membrane within and 
without the osseous structure of the horns and contiguous j>arts 
enjoys immunity from disease. It is subject to it, as are other 
parts, precisely identical in function and structure. But I am 
exposing a false theory, which confounds functional and organic 
diseases with their symptoms or manifestations. 

A local disease of the horns is not unusual. For example, a 
blow in the region of the base of the horn often occasions a local 
affection ; and this is not to be wondered at, when we know that 
the parts in this region are merely defended by a thin cuticular 
envelope, and, therefore, offers but little protection to the subtis- 
sues. This region is denominated by brutal men the " tender 
spot;" and, in view of subduing a restive animal, they aim their 
bludgeons in this direction, with terrible effect. Local injuries 
of this character, and those" occurring in the savage encounters 
which horned animals frequently engage in, the boring of their 
horns, and sawing them off, etc., are accidents and processes more 
or less operative in exciting a local affection. 

A local disease of this character admits of the following dem- 
onstration; namely, percussion. Percussion is the art of striking 
various parts of the body, with a view of ascertaining the seat of 
disease. Every substance, when thrown into sonorous vibration, 
produces a sound the tone of which is peculiar to itself, and every 
change which takes place in the composition of that substance, or 
in the arrangement of its component parts, is accompanied by a 
corresponding change in its tone. If we strike a solid body, it 
emits a solid sound ; strike an empty one, and it emits a hollow 
sound. In like manner, if we strike a healthy horn, we get a 
sound of hollowness. When the horn and frontal sinuses are 
occupied by matter, we elicit a dull sound, without vibration. 
The difference between the sound elicited from an empty barrel 
and that from a full one, or the sound from a solid post and that 
from a hollow one, when struck with a hammer, is not more re- 
markable than in the cases of healthy and diseased horns. By 
the same means we diagnose diseases of the chest. We are, there- 
fore enabled, with absolute certainty, to determine the presence of 
pus within the horns ; and, keeping in view the history of the 
case, which it is our business to inquire into, we can generally tell 
whether or not such abscesses result from local injury or disease 
within the parts, or if it be the sequence of some other disease. 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 193 

Treatment. — In regard to the treatment of an abscess located in 
the region of the base of the horns, the proper method is to tre- 
phine the skull, which operation can only be performed by a vet- 
erinary surgeon. 

Tail-ail. 

In view of sustaining the respectability of veterinary science and 
my own professional reputation, I would inform the reader that 
tail-ail is an imaginary disease, appearing only in localities which 
the apostles of true veterinary science have never visited. The 
supposed affection is said to induce partial or complete paralysis 
of the hind extremities, and, contrary to the principles of science 
and the testimony of several veterinary writers, this condition is 
often termed tail-ail. The faulty theory is, a soft spot is found at 
the end of the tail, (this is a feature of every healthy cow's tail, 
when it has not been docked,) which takes the strength out of her 
back, and produces paralysis. The remedy is either to amputate 
the caudal appendage, or slit open the soft spot and stuff in tar, 
pepper, salt, or whatever remedy Neighbor So-and-so recommends. 
It seems a pity that the poor animals I am now writing about can 
not, like their masters, receive the benefits resulting from the in- 
vestigations of scientific men in improved methods of treating dis- 
ease. However, it is gratifying to know that the errors of the 
past are fast "dying out," and that the days of ignorance are 
numbered. 

The tail is sometimes the seat of a local affection arising from 
blows, etc., or it may be the seat of a cutaneous disease ; but neither 
one nor the other can be of so grave a character as to produce 
paralysis of the posterior limbs. The soft extremity of the tail, 
may also occasionally become congested, or else (Edematous (drop- 
sical). But these states of the part would not justify a man in, 
cutting off the tail ; for the limbs are often found in the same con- 
dition, and no one would ever think of lopping them off, for the 
remedy would be worse than the disease ; and, so far as the tail is 
concerned in being the seat of local congestion, or oedema, there is- 
no disease at all, and, therefore, does not require local treatment. 
But I am not discussing the probabilities of diseases of the tail. 
This is not my purpose. I only aim to show the folly of making, 
the cow's tail the indicator of the various diseases of her body, 
and, also, that of confounding a disease of the nervous system) 
13 



194 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

■with a slight congestion of the tail ; and, further, the folly of ar- 
guing that the cow's strength is taken out of her back, etc., because 
the end of her tail is soft. If the tails of neat stock, or those of 
any other animals, become diseased, in the name of humanity let 
them be prescribed for ; but I do hope that those who read this 
article will never be caught prying into the end of the above use- 
ful appendage for the purpose of demonstrating that which never 
existed. 

Almost all animals said to have the tail-ail are laboring under 
various forms of disease remote from the tail, and, however dili- 
gent men may be in performing their barbarous operations on the 
same, the disease under which the animal suffers, perhaps located 
either in the brain, spinal marrow, liver, or pancreas, entirely un- 
suspected, may progress to a fatal termination, while an uneducated 
cow-leech is amusing himself by taking unwarrantable liberties 
with the uncomplaining animal's tail. I am often told that ani- 
mals, after being thus operated on, get well. Very likely. Some 
animals will endure the most cruel torture, and I once saw a cow, 
in apparent health, who a fortnight previous drank a pint of white 
paint. ' Such cases I look upon as nothing more nor less than lucky 
escapes. 

I shall close this article by introducing a selection from 
" Youatt on Cattle." Mr. Youatt, when treating of palsy, thus 
alludes to " tail-ill," or " tail-slip " : 

" In many parts of the kingdom palsy is traced to a most ridicu- 
lous cause. The original evil is said to be in the tail, and all 
maladies of this kind, involving the partial or total loss of motion 
in the hind limbs of the animal, are classed under the name of 
tail-ill, or tail-slip. Our 'friend, Mr. Dick, of Edinburgh, has 
taken up this subject, in a very interesting point of view, in the 
fourteenth number of the ' Journal of Agriculture,' and the public 
are much indebted to him for dispelling a false, injurious, and 
cruel superstition. The farmer and the cow-leech believe that the 
mischief passes along the cow's tail to the back, and that it is on 
account of something wrong in the tail that she loses the use of her 
legs ; and then some set to work and cut the cow's tail off, while 
others, less cruel or more scientific, make an incision into the under 
surface, and allow the wound to bleed freely, and then fill it up 
with a mixture of tar and salt, and we know not Avhat. * * * 
Mr. Dick, with a kind consideration for which he deserves much 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 195 

credit, condescends to reason the case with these foolish people j 
and what he says is so much to the purpose, that we can not refrain 
from introducing it here : ' The disease, in ordinary cases', is said 
to consist in a softening about the extremity of the tail, and is to 
be distinguished by the point of the tail being easily doubled back 
upon itself, and having, at this doubling, a soft and rather crepi- 
tating kind of feel. But what is the real state of the case ? The 
tail is lengthened out to the extent of about three feet, and is 
formed like a common whip. Toward the extremity the bones 
terminate gradually, becoming insensibly smaller as they proceed 
downward. At this part is said to be found a soft place (the tail- 
slip). Beyond this, again, a firm cartilaginous portion is found, 
covered with hair, to brush off the flies within its reach. Now, 
why have we the long columns of bones — the termination with a 
soft space of a few inches — this thickened, hard, cartilaginous part 
at the very extremity, and that extremity covered with hair, but 
with a view to form a whip, to drive off, with the greatest possible 
effect, the insects which wound and torment the animal ? ' " 

After such testimony as the above, I firmly believe that the 
readers of this work will never be caught in the foolish act of lo- 
cating paralysis at the extremity of the caudal appendage. 




SECTION XII. 

DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 

Inflammation of the Brain and its Membranes— Sturdy in Cattle — Shaking 
Palsy — Hydrophobia. 



Inflammation of the Brain and its Membranes. 

T makes but little difference, so far as our method of treatment 
is concerned;, whether the brain or its membranes be the seat 
of inflammation ; for the treatment, in both cases, must be the same, 
and the difference, in a pathological point of view, can not be very 
great between a disease of the brain and its investing membranes, 
although each may have peculiarities of appearance. The affection 
is generally sudden in its attack, and it is often accompanied by 
symptoms of frenzy, and the animal sometimes becomes frantic, 
and decidedly mischievous. Soon, however, alterations in the 
structure of the parts take place, as softening, effusion, etc., and 
then the animal dies. 

In regard to the treatment, I must confess that it is much 
easier to write about it than accomplish it. In cases when de- 
lirious fits occur, accompanied by convulsions, which make it dan- 
gerous to approach the animal, I have no remedies to offer ; the 
case is beyond the reach of art. I may, however, add that the 
terminations of this disease are different. They depend on the 
intensity of the malady and the structural susceptibility. The 
lisease is generally treated on the antiphlogistic plan : cold water 
to the head, active cathartics, and counter-irritation on the region 
of the spine. 

Causes. — The causes of a disease of this character are often 
obscure, yet I have known it to occur as a symptomatic affection. 
I examined the carcass of an ox, a short time ago, that died of 
H96) 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 197 

what the owner termed " mad staggers." I found the brain highly 
congested, and several adhesions between it and its membranes. 
There were also large patches, intensely red, on the lining mem- 
brane of the third and fourth apartments of the stomach. I was 
informed by the owner that the animal died twenty-four hours 
from the time of its first attack. The disease probably originated 
on the digestive surfaces, in consequence of the irritating nature 
of the food — moldy hay and tough corn-stalks, with a sprinkling 
of damaged meal and brewer's grains. 

Symptoms, — The symptoms of symptomatic disease of the brain 
are as follows : Dullness, loss of appetite, staring of the coat ; and, 
if the animal be a milch cow, diminution in the quantity of milk 
is observed ; the extremities are cold, and the animal grates its 
teeth j the respiration is at first tranquil, and the pulse slow but 
full ; the patient will frequently be seized with a kind of epileptic 
fit, which lasts but a few minutes, during which time some of them 
will exhibit the most violent symptoms, such as bellowing hide- 
ously, pawing the earth, and running at a.nj thing within their 
reach ; they will also break out into profuse perspiration, and press 
their heads forcibly against the wall, even to such an extent as to 
break off their horns. Many are seized with violent tremblings 
and twitchings, and, toward the latter period of the disease, the 
respiration becomes extremely laborious, the jaws are firmly closed, 
convulsions succeed each other rapidly, and death shortly closes 
the scene. 

Treatment. — Give the animal two drachms of fluid extract of gel- 
seminum in a gill of water, twice daily, until the pulse and respira- 
tions become more natural. Give occasional enemas of soap-suds, 
and keep the head and spine sponged often with cold water. So 
soon as the inflammator}? - symptoms subside, discontinue the gel- 
seminum, and administer, daily, doses of 

Fluid extract of golden seal .......... 1 oz. 

Hyposulphite of soda.. J oz. 

Water ............................ 1 pt. 

Mil. 



Sturdy, ok Cerebral Parasites. 

The brain, and its investing membranes, are often infested with 
a species of entozoa, termed coenurus. They consist of a parent 



198 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

. sac, or membranous tunic, from which, externally, germination 
takes place. This mode of multiplication of this group of para- 
sites differs from that which is observed in the hydatid (fluke), in 
which it occurs internally. • • 

Symptoms. — The symptoms will depend altogether upon the 
number and size of the parasites. In their early state they take 
up but little room, and do not occasion any very marked symp- 
toms ; yet, if the animal could only speak, Ave might be informed 
that he was the subject of headache, As the parasite or parasites 
increase in size, they produce pressure on the brain, which makes 
the animal appear giddy, confused, nervous, and desirous of sep- 
arating itself from the herd; and it is in consequence of these 
peculiar symptoms making their appearance, when no other form 
of disease is present, that the term " sturdy " is applied, which is 
simply used to denote the presence of cerebral parasites. 

Treatment, — "When once these parasites have fairly taken up 
their abode in the cranial cavity of an ox, I fear there is very 
little help. An operation, such as that alluded to by the writer 
of the appended article, may, once in awhile, prove successful, yet, 
in my opinion, the remedy is about as bad as the disease; there- 
fore I recommend prevention rather than attempts at cure. The 
preventive remedies are salt, sulphur, and charcoal, equal parts. 
This is a specific for all parasites. About a table-spoonful of the 
mixture, given occasionally in the food, will prevent the germi- 
nation of many forms of parasites. 

The following interesting translations are by Mr. Gamgee: 

" Sturdy in Cattle. — No less than seven bladders of the coenurus 
were found in the left hemisphere of the cerebrum, in an old cow 
affected with the sturdy. Between the dura mater and the cranial 
parieties there were several transparent vesicles, about the size of 
a pea, embedded in the substance of the bones. The left hemis- 
phere of the cerebrum only weighed three drachms and a scruple 
less than the right, although the former contained all the blad 
ders. Hering could not find any heads of the coenurus on the 
interior of the sacs, and he held them to be yet undeveloped 
hydatids, — Repertorium fiir Tlioerheil, p. 21. 1855? Stuttgart. 

"In the second volume of the Milan '.Veterinary Journal/ at 
page 52, is a case of sturdy, recorded by Patellani. It occurred 
in a two-year old animal, that had shown, for several days, at- 
tacks of madness^ and in one of these it had broken a horn off. 



DISEASES OF THE BRAftf. 199 

Patellani found her lying senseless on the ground ; the head, bent 
on one side ; the forehead, hot, and painful on percussion ; the 
sound produced, hollow. On examination after death, the mem- 
brane of the brain was found injected, and in the right ventricle 
of the cerebrum were hydatids with several heads. 

"The trephine has, of late years, been much recommended in 
cases of cerebral hydatids in cattle ; and in Bavaria and Wurtem- 
berg it has. frequently been employed, and often with good results. 
At the Clinique of the Munich Veterinary School, in the month 
of November, 1854, a year-old heifer was presented, with expan- 
sion of the right frontal bone. There were symptoms of giddi- 
ness, with turning toward the right side, dullness, etc. Ramoser 
found, on percussing the seat of the disease, that the sound was 
most hollow to the left. The case was observed for forty -three 
days, during which time the symptoms became more severe ; the 
animal was trephined, and about two ounces of serum passed out, 
followed by the bag of the parasite. The wound would have been 
closed with a clay plaster, but the animal had to be slaughtered 
the following day. The membranes of the brain were inflamed, 
especially to the right, and blood was extravasated on its surface. 
The expansion, thinning, and even perforation of the upper part 
of the right lateral ventricle, showed that the bladder was lodged 
in the ventricle itself, as had been seen the previous year, in 
another case that had been operated upon. Death was then 
attributable to the far-advanced stage of the malady, and to the 
abrupt collapse of the parietes of the ventricle, after contraction 
of the bladder." — Munchen Jahresber, fer 1854-5, p. 13. 

The following is from the pen of Mr. John Gamgee, (Edin- 
burgh,) on sturdy in sheep, in which much useful information 
relative to parasites is given : 

" The more inquiries made, the more accurate will the conclusion 
arrived at by scientific men appear, that dogs and sheep must live 
together for certain parasites to extend their ravages with effect. 
On all the sheep-farms I visited last summer, sturdy was com- 
plained of, and on all such farms there were dogs. Such was the 
case at Cairnton, Mill of Kincarnardine, on Glendye, and in other 
localities. Mr. Falconer, of Balnakettle, a gentleman of great 
experience, and other farmers, assured me that there has been 
more giddiness in sheep within the last two or three years than 
they had ever witnessed before, and the losses, in consequence, 



200 DADD : S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

are sometimes greater than by that fatal malady " braxy." This 
clearly does not depend on a large number of dogs being kept; 
but there are many conditions affecting the propagation of para- 
sites, and if destructive agencies were not as universal as the 
productive, much more effectually would vermin and parasites 
multiply and spread their baneful influence, to the detriment of 
mankind. It is accidental circumstances that affect the develop- 
ment of diseases of animals. If every germ produced by a single 
tape-worm, in a limited period of time, were to take effect,. it 
would be quite sufficient to exterminate tjie flocks of Great Brit- 
ain ; but, I repeat, the laws established to procure the multipli- 
cation of any animal are counteracted by an infinity of uncon- 
trolled, but, perhaps, not uncontrollable, agencies. The latent 
vitality of the eggs of such parasites is extremely difficult to 
destroy, and, to use the words of one of Kuchenmelster's review- 
ers, after months of exposure to warmth and moisture, the pulpy 
and putrid debris of segments of the taenia solium yield ova which, 
show no sign of any approach of degeneration or decay. And the 
writer of this review has been struck by the remarkable way in 
which the size and structure of these ova allow them to elude all 
precautions that may be taken against their mechanical dispersion. 
In spite of every attempt to insure their destruction, by steeping 
the specimen glasses he may have used in strong acids, and by 
afterward bathing them in the flame of a spirit-lamp, he has once 
or twice found the characteristic ova appear most unaccountably 
in healthy and diseased tissues of secretions of the human body, 
which he has subsequently examined with these glasses. The 
dissolution of the parent tissues ultimately sets free the eggs con- 
tained in their interior, to be carried by the winds and waves 
wherever accident may determine. How vast a number of them 
miscarry is evident when we attempt to take the census of a single 
tape- worm ! Or imagine the million of eggs such a parent foists 
upon society during the years it may inhabit a given animal. 
What becomes of these abortive germs, how long they retain any 
vitality, and what are the circumstances that may rob them of it 
are questions we can not answer, save by the conjecture that their 
albuminous and fatty materials are either applied to the soil in a 
decomposed form, or are consumed as food by various of the 
minute intervertebra that throng the surface of the earth and the 
waters. But the more fortunate minority of these eggs, the des- 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 201 

tiny of which is to eat instead of being eaten, after many and long 
wanderings of this passive nature, are, at length, engulfed by some 
unconscious animal in company with its food, and, through its 
alimentary canal, attain the locality of their second form of exist- 
ence. During this passive emigration, the worm has retained its 
previous size (l-700th of an inch) and shape. But its thick wall 
bursts and sets free the inclosed embryo, which is an ovoid body, 
of nearly equal size, armed with six hooklets at one extremity. 
Impelled by instinct to begin its active migration, the embryo 
pierces the first portion of its path by bringing together the an- 
terior pair of hooks, so as to form with them a kind of wedge- 
shaped stiletto, and now drags itself forward in the same direc- 
tion by means of the succeeding pairs of hooks, which it uses like 
a person who, in attempting to get out of a bow-window, thrusts 
himself forward by his elbows. In this way the minute embryo 
penetrates the body it inhabits, and only increases its efforts on 
reaching the place its instinct recognizes as suitable for its abode, 
prior to the next series of changes it has to undergo. Streaks of 
reactive inflammation and exudation generally indicate the minute 
channel by which the embryo thus traverses the wall of the digest- 
ive canal, in its course to the liver or other organs. The migra- 
tion of a taenia is probably a passive process. Various facts suggest 
it to be so — " a true locomotion, effected under the impulse of an 
instinct, and by means of certain special organs. The germs of 
parasites are evidently carried through the system in the stream 
of circulating blood, and they do not always travel themselves 
through the interstices of tissues. 

Sturdy was long considered as dependent on a simple accumu- 
lation of water on the brain, generally affecting one side. Loecke 
had observed, in 1780, that the water-bladders on the brain of 
giddy sheep were animals ; and Fabricus (Harvey's master) was 
the first to assert the same respecting the cysticercus of the pig. 
Albildguard, the founder of the Copenhagen "Veterinary School, 
observed that a tape-worm (the bothriocephalus latus) which ex- 
isted in the abdominal cavity of the stickle-back, and in the 
intestinal canal of certain water birds, never had egffs in the 
former but only in the latter situation; and that from the first- 
mentioned creature it passed into the second, he ascertained by 
direct experiments with ducks, which he fed on banstickles. 
Goetze, in 1782, had perceived the great resemblance between the 



202 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

head of the hydatid of the liver of mice and rats, the cysticercus 
fasciolaris, and of the tape-worm of the cat (taenia crassicollis.) 
The cercarise was first studied by Miiller, and lastly by Bejanus, 
in 1818, who recognized them as parasitic in certain snails, in- 
closed in bags. M. Wagner and Von Siebold and Steenstrup 
fancied they had discovered the change cercarise underwent to 
become true fluke-worms. Ehrenberg, in 1852, disputed Steen- 
strup's accepted metamorphoses, and only gives the resemblance 
of the tailless cercarioe, with a trematode worm. Dr. Kuchen- 
meister, of Sittau, instituted ingenious experiments to settle these 
hypotheses. He made dogs and cats swallow hydatids, which de- 
veloped into tape-worms in the intestines. From the hydatids of 
the liver of cats and mice the taenia crassicollis in the intestines 
of the cat arose, and from the cysticercus of the hare and rabbit 
the taenia serrata in the intestine of the dog ; so that if the water- 
bladder is lost, the head of the worm attaches itself to the head 
of the mucous membrane, the rings constituting the body of the 
tape-worms, including the organs of reproduction, and they are 
thus formed. By repeated experiments, made by several eminent 
zoologists, the deductions were confirmed." 

Shaking Palsy. 

Shaking palsy is a condition of the animal economy known 
to medical men as irregular or abnormal nervous action. It gen- 
erally occurs in cows of the nervous temperament, whose digest- 
ive organs are deranged; and, so far as my experience goes, the 
disease is confined to imported stock, of the Alderney breed. I 
lately attended an Alderney cow, the property of Mr. Chenery, 
at the " Highland Stock Farm," Belmont, Mass. 

Symptoms. — The patient was suddenly attacked with symptoms 
of irregular nervous action of the muscles of the chest and fore- 
legs, simulating shaking palsy. The membranes of the eyes were 
highly injected; pulse, jerking in unison with the irregular mus- 
cular action; external surface, extremities, and horns, quite chilly • 
respirations, normal ; pulse small and languid. 

Treatment. — I gave the patient three drachms of fluid extract 
of golden-seal, and the same quantity of fluid extract of camomile 
flowers. The spine and fore extremities were then irritated by the 
application of tincture of capsicum. On visiting the animal, the 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 203 

next day, I found her in better condition. The tremulous motion 
had somewhat subsided, and I pronounced her out of danger. She 
finally recovered without much subsequent treatment. 

It is my opinion that this case had its origin in derangement 
of the digestive organs and constipation; for, after the exhibition 
of the tonics (" bitters,") which aroused the action of the stomach, 
the animal passed an immense quantity of black, fetid excrement. 
The quantity was so great that it occasioned remarks on the sub- 
ject from all who visited her. 

Hydrophobia. 

There are generally some circumstances connected with a case 
of hydrophobia which aiford a clue to its real nature. It often 
happens that evidence conclusive is furnished that the animal has 
been bitten by a rabid dog. If this be the case, all doubts are at 
an end. 

Symptoms. — In the early stages of the disease, there may be 
nothing in the symptoms to excite suspicion as regards the true 
character of the affection; they may merely denote approaching 
illness ; but if the animal has been bitten by a rabid dog, or any 
other animal, and has become inoculated with the virus, which is 
usually communicated through the medium of the saliva, then 
any slight deviation from health, as shown by suspension of ru- 
mination, or by any other abnormal condition which may attract 
the attention of the farmer, is the precursor of the dreadful 
malady which is to follow. The most marked symptoms of hy- 
drophobia are, protrusion of the eyeballs; the conjunctivial mem- 
brane is very much reddened, and, in fact, all the visible surfaces 
of the eyes, nostrils, and mouth are much inflamed. The animal 
is ripe for mischief, bellows occasionally, will paw and tear up the 
ground with its horns, and, on the least excitement, will become 
more dangerous than a rabid dog, trying, however, to do injury, 
to friend or foe, with its horns rather than with its teeth. The 
rabid cow or ox will drink water, if it can swallow ; in fact, it gen- 
erally suffers from intense thirst ; but the fact is, the poor creature 
can not swallow a drop. The least attempt at deglutition induces 
spasms of the larynx, and puts the animal into the most distress- 
ing agony. It is not the sight of water that puts a rabid animal 
into convulsions, as some persons suppose; for in the early stage 



204 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

of the disease, when the membrane of the larynx is not much 
affected, they will drink freely. 

Treatment. — It is well known that the poison of all rabid ani- 
mals resides in the saliva, consequently they can not be handled 
and drenched without fear of danger ; for if a small quantity of 
the saliva comes in contact with an abraded surface or sore, the 
unfortunate individual is just as much in danger as if he had 
been bitten. The only remedies that seem likely to be of any 
service are the plantain leaf (plahtago major) and lobelia. Take 
four ounces of each of these herbs, and infuse them in two quarts 
of boiling water ; when cool, strain through a fine sieve, and ad- 
minister at once. If at the end of a few hours the patient has 
not improved, it will be advisable to destroy him. 

The following interesting case occurred in the practice of Mr. 
G. Lewis, of Monmouth, England : 

" I was requested to see a cow, the property of an extensive 
farmer near this town. Upon my arrival he gave me the follow- 
ing history of the case: 'On the 15th ult., the calf from this cow, 
tied in an out-house, was severely bitten in the nose and mouth 
by a dog, it was believed, although none was seen. But the cattle 
which were in the same meadow were in a very excited state, 
lowing and bellowing, as also the calf; and, upon the arrival of 
the shepherd, who hastened to the spot, he found the calf much 
torn, and the cow with blood upon her nose. The calf, from this 
period until the 27th, could not take its milk in the natural man- 
ner, and was obliged to be drenched. But from the above date, 
the wounds having healed, and the animal apparently recovered 
from the injuries it had received, it was turned to the cow, and 
took its milk in the usual way, which it continued to do up to the 
31st, at which period the teats of the cow were bitten by the calf. 
From this date the calf became very ill, appeared to have sore 
throat, made a very peculiar noise, a kind of half bellow and 
roar, continued to get worse, and died on the 3d inst.' I did not 

see him, but such is the description given to me by Mr. J , 

and I know that it is a faithful one. My attention was now 
directed to the cow. She was observed yesterday to separate he r- 
self from the others, and to bellow occasionally; but this morn- 
ing she was seen to foam greatly at the mouth, and appeared 
much excited. The other cattle, also, would not associate with 
her, but kept at a respectful distance, with their heads and tails 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 205 

erect. She was now brought to the house, at which time I first 
saw her. She was standing; the eyes were half-closed; she ap- 
peared to be in a kind of stupor, or half comatose state ; extrem- 
ities, natural temperature ; respiration, natural. She was looking 
rather thin ; she was always a remarkably quiet creature, but now 
the least noise appears greatly to agitate her. The human voice, 
or the slightest movement, is sufficient to cause her eyes to glare, 
and set her bellowing, which ends in something between a growl 
and a roar. A person whistling, or the bark of a dog, produces 
fearful excitement. These paroxysms also appear to come on 
spontaneously. At their termination, the eyes again become half- 
closed, the abdominal muscles tremble, the respiration is slightly 
quickened, and the pulse is quick and tremulous. I remarked 
that some water might be brought. Upon presenting the same 
she plunged her nose into the bucket, but could not swallow, and 
the effect was fearful to behold. 

I informed Mr. J ■ as to the nature of the case, stating that 

I had no hesitation in pronouncing it tc be a case of hydropho- 
bia; but, as he did not wish to have her destroyed, and was very 
anxious that I should give her something, and watch the case, I 
merely ordered a purgative, combined with a little febrifuge med- 
icine, at the same time pointing out the propriety of being cau- 
tious while administering the medicine, and the probable imprac- 
ticability of it, which was verified. 

September 14. — All the symptoms of yesterday are aggravated 
intensively. The eyes have still a heavy appearance, when sud- 
denly they appear like two brilliants. I observe that the spasm 
is more severe, and that she bites the wood-work of her stall. 

September 15. — Much worse; the cornea of the left eye, in its 
center, is become opaque, and appears as though nitrate of silver 
had been applied to it. She sometimes lies down, but gets up 
again and roars. Upon a person present putting his foot near 
her mouth, she made an effort to seize it, uttering a growl. She 
died this evening. 

"Post mortem examination, seventeen hours after death. — The 
brain — its substance appeared healthy. The pia mater showed 
intense inflammation in small patches; its vessels generally were 
very fully congested. The larynx showed traces of intense in-: 
flammation, as also did the membrane lining of the trachea, 
throughout its entire length, and was most beautifully spotted, 



206 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

as was also the lungs, pleura pulmonalis, pericardium, and heart. 
The coats of the first and third stomachs parted upon the slightest 
touch, in patches. The abdominal viscera, also, was similarly 
spotted, as was the diaphragm, etc., although not so thickly as the 
respiratory organs." 




SPECIMEN OF AN JLLDEKNEY BULL. 



SECTION XIII. 

THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 

Description of the Liver — Secretion of Bile ; its Uses, etc. — Gall-bladder- 
Inflammation of the Liver — Hydatids — Jaundice, or Yellows. 



Description of the Liver. 

nnHE liver is the largest gland in the body. Unlike the liver 
-L of a horse, it has a large reservoir for the reception of the 
bile, called the gall-bladder. In form it is irregular, being convex 
anteriorly, or toward the diaphragm, with which it is in contact, 
and concave on its posterior surface, or toward and in the vicinity 
of a part of the stomach. It is conrposed of two lobes. That 
on the right side is the larger. The central portion of the gland 
is the thickest, and it gradually becomes thin toward its borders. 
The mass consists of a vast number of minute lobules, varying in 
size and form, containing a net-work of biliary ducts connected 
with their main trunks, and a large number of biliary cells ; and 
each is connected, in like manner, with three blood-vessels ; namely, 
the hepatic or nutrient artery of the liver ; the vena porta, which 
returns the venous blood after it has circulated through the intes- 
tines; the hepatic vein, which carries back the blood received from 
both the other sources. It will be seen, therefore, that the venous 
blood, which is brought to the liver by the vena portse, is intended 
for the elimination of bile ; therefore this vessel seems to act in 
the double capacity of vein and artery ; for, as a vein, it receives 
blood from the abdominal viscera ; as an artery it ramifies through 
the liver, forms a capillary net-work, and then secretes the bile. 
From this capillary net- work, which can be traced to the center 
of the minute lobules, the hepatic vein takes its origin, collecting 
the blood from the capillary net-work. It then unites with other 

(207) 



208 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

radicles to form the main trunk, by which it is delivered into the 
vena cava. 

The branches of the hepatic artery are principally distributed 
upon the walls of the hepatic ducts, and upon the trunks and 
branches of the portal and hepatic veins, supplying these and the 
contiguous parts with the necessary amount of arterial blood for 
their nourishment, as well as that of the whole gland. 

The investing membrane of the liver, from which prolongations 
extend into its substance, is termed Glisson's capsule. 

The liver derives its nerves and nervo-vital power from the 
great sympathetic and eighth pair. 

The liver is confined to its situation by ligaments, which get 
the name of broad, lateral, coronary, and round. The round lig- 
ament is the remains of the umbilical vein of the fetus. The 
others are continuations or duplicatures of the peritoneum. 

Secretion of Bile; its Uses, etc. 

The bile is secreted from the capillaries of the hepatic artery, 
by minute glands found on the surface of the biliary ducts. It 
then passes through the biliary pores and branches of the hepatic 
duct. By this duct it is conveyed to the ductus communis chole- 
dochus (union of the cystic and hepatic ducts), from whence, in 
part, it passes by the cystic duct to the gall-bladder. When needed 
in the duodenum, it returns by the cystic duct, and mixes in the 
ductus communis choledochus with fresh bile from the hepatic 
duct, and then passes into the duodenum. The bile having en- 
tered the intestine, mixes with the aliment and pancreatic juice. 
The pancreatic juice changes the digested aliment into a brown 
mass, termed chyme, and then emulsifies it. After being emulsi- 
fied, a portion of the chyle is taken up by the lacteals and enters 
the receptaculum chyli. In a healthy state of the system, should 
any bile escape with the chyle, it is absorbed by the mesenteric 
glands, and returns to the liver by the vena portse. 

Gall-bladder.' 

The gall-bladder is a pear-shaped bag connected with the con- 
cave and posterior surface of the liver, by the above vessels and 
cellular membrane. It has four coats, termed peritoneal, cellular, 



THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 209 

musclar, and villous. The villous coat is the internal one, and is 
thrown into numerous minute folds, arranged in a reticular form, 
filled with small ducts, or follicles, and glands. The latter secrete 
a fluid for the protection of the internal surface. 

Inflammation of the Liver. 

Cattle and young stock, when fed too high, or when allowed to 
luxuriate in a rich meadow, are often attacked with an acute dis- 
ease of the liver. 

Symptoms. — The principal symptoms of this malady are yellow- 
ness of the membrane which lines the eyelids, and covers that part 
known as the "white of the eye." The visible surfaces of the 
mouth are also of a yellow tinge. In addition to the above symp- 
toms, the animal is feverish, thirsty ; mouth and base of the horns, 
hot ; pulse, accelerated ; breathing, rather laborious ; rumination 
is suspended, and the animal is said to have " lost its cud." Some 
fullness will also generally be observed on the right side, in the 
region of the liver, and the animal will occasionally turn its head 
in that direction, as if it were the seat of pain, which is probably 
the case ; yet the most reliable symptoms, in a disease of this char- 
acter, are a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces, accompanied by 
febrile symptoms. 

Treatment. — The most rational method of treating this disease 
is to endeavor to mitigate the inflammatory diathesis, and restore 
the normal function of the liver. In view of accomplishing these 
desirable results, I recommend the following prescription : 

Glauber salts 16 oz. 

Powdered mandrake 2 dr. 

The salts should be dissolved in one quart of tepid water ; then, 
add the mandrake, and drench the animal by means of a common 
porter -bottle. This drench should be poured down the oesopha- 
gus in a gradual manner, so as to prevent its being received into, 
the rumen, or paunch. 

The patient should, if possible, be dieted on green fodder. If 
such can not be procured, some sliced cabbage, turnips, or carrots 
may be substituted. A tea-spoonful of mandrake should be given, 
daily in the food, until the visible surfaces assume their natural color,. 
A curable case will generally yield under the above treatment. 
14 



210 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

This disease sometimes runs into a chronic type, and is known 
by the yellow color of visible surfaces, dull, sleepy appearance of 
the subject, and absence of those acute symptoms which are inva- 
riably present in the inflammatory stage. . A chronic disease of this 
character may exist for months and even years without interfering 
very essentially with the general health. Finally, however, the 
liver undergoes alterations in structure, becomes hardened or in- 
durated, or else it becomes tuberculous, or is the seat of hydatids, 
and the fluke-worm is often found in the ducts. The treatment 
for chronic disease of the liver is as follows : 

Powdered iodide of potassium 2 dr. 

Powdered golden seal 4 oz. 

Mix. 

Divide the mass into six equal parts, and give one in a little 
water, every morning, on an empty stomach. The medicine may 
be continued for some length of time without the least danger. If 
this treatment does not benefit the animal, the case is probably 
incurable. 

Hydatids. 

Hydatids, commonly known as " flukes," consist of a sac or 
vesicle filled with fluid. To the naked eye it appears as a simple 
enveloping cyst; but on examining it more closely, by means of 
the microscope, it shows many tunics or coats, and these are the 
rudimentary cells in various stages of growth. According to Car- 
penter, these rudimentary developments project more and more 
into the parent cell, and, at last, become detached from its wall, 
and lie loosely within it. Shortly before this separation, however, 
the young hydatid is seen to contain smaller cells, which increase 
in size along with it. This increase continues until the new brood 
thus formed entirely fills the cavity of the parent, and a further 
increase causes the rupture of the sac and the escape of the progeny; 
and these, in their turn, undergo the same evolution, becoming 
parent hydatids in distinct cysts, and setting free their contained 
cells as a subsequent generation. These cystic entozoa are never 
found in the alimentary canal, but are always embedded in the 
liver, brain, or glands of organs. They obtain their food by ab- 
sorption from the inner surface of the investing membrane. Hy- 
datids infest the various organs of the bodies of all mammalia, 
and, although they are said to possess an independent existence 



THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 211 

while residents of the organ or organs which they inhabit, they 
die immediately when removed from their chosen habitation. 

" The principal genera of cystic entozoa are, cysticercus, coenurus, 
echinococcus, to which may be added acephalocystis. Several spe- 
cies of cysticercus are enumerated, but the most common are cys- 
ticercus tenicollis and cysticercus cellulosus. The former (taenia 
hydatagenia, hydatis globosa) is met with frequently in the peri- 
toneum and pleura of ruminating animals and pigs. It is often 
generated in the disease called rot, where another entozoon, the 
distoma, or fluke-worm, is met with in the biliary ducts (liver). 
The cysticercus cellulosis is found generally lodged in the tissues 
of the muscles. It occurs sometimes in man, but more frequently 
in animals, particularly in the hog, where it causes the disease de- 
nominated measles. Of the genus coenurus (hydatis polycephalus), 
the species cerebralis is found in the brain of sheep, oxen, and 
other ruminating animals. These hydatids on the brain of sheep 
cause the disease called sturdy, or giddiness. The hydatids be- 
longing to the genus echinococcus are considered, by some, as va- 
rieties of the acephalocyst. They are commonly called granular 
hydatids, from the presence of numerous granules which float in 
the fluid of the cyst, or adhere to its walls. There are two species 
of echinococcus. One, echinococcus hominis, has been met with 
in the brain and abdomen of man, in a few instances ; the other, 
echinococcus veterinorum, occurs in the hog and other animals. 

Hydatids occur much less frequently in the brains of cattle in 
Great Britain than in other countries, as Youatt lias correctly said, 
in his treatise on the l Diseases of the Ox.' It occurs only in the 
young animals. Indeed, it obeys the same laws that guide the 
development of the coenurus in the sheep ; and it is a well-estab- 
lished fact that it is only when animals are growing that the germs 
for the propagation of the bladder- worms will be taken up, and 
carried to parts probably through the blood. 

The success attending the trephine, in cases of hydatids in the 
brain of the ox, is very great and encouraging ; and not only have 
I read interesting and convincing records on this subject, but, in 
conversation with skillful and experienced veterinarians, I have 
learned that trephining is an operation often to be relied upon." * 

The liver is sometimes enormously enlarged, in consequence of 

* Pan, in the " London Field." 



Iil2 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the presence of a numerous progeny of the fluke-worm. The fol- 
lowing case, contributed to the "Veterinarian" by Surgeon J. B. 
Gregory, will serve to illustrate this matter. The morbid parts 
referred to were sent by Mr. Gregory to the editor of the " Vet- 
erinarian," who makes the remarks inclosed in brackets : 

" The morbid parts I send were taken from a well-bred, short- 
horned cow, six years old, estimated to weigh, when fat, one hun- 
dred and twenty-five stones of eight pounds. She was purchased 
in August last, with a warranty to calve in November following. 
On September 2d her owner called on me, and wished me to give 
her some medicine, as he thought she was not quite recovered from 
the effects of being driven sixteen miles. The medicine I sent had 
a beneficial effect, as the cow's appetite returned, and she appeared 
to be quite well again. After this I heard no more of her until 
the 6th of January last, when I was requested to go and give my 
opinion as to her being in calf, it being two months beyond the 
time she was expected to calve. I found that her appetite and 
rumination were natural, the pulse regular, and the kidneys and 
bowels acting well. There was, however, a peculiar expression of 
her countenance, that told- of continuous pain.- Her eyes, also, 
were sunk in their orbits, and she had a frequent and troublesome 
cough. Her skin, likewise, had lost its pliancy, and she was sadly 
out of condition, but no yellowness of the mouth or eyes was pres- 
ent. I first examined her abdomen externally, by percussing the 
right side, with a view of determining her pregnancy; but the 
body my hand came in contact with was too large for, and had 
not the feel of, a foetus. As the cow had occasionally been observed 
to strain, I was now induced to examine her per vaginum, when 
I found the os uteri to be indurated and unyielding. I could also 
distinctly feel a round and hard substance, about the size of a large 
cricket-ball, and which I supposed to be the right ovary ; the other 
one, however, I could not find. I told the owner that the cow was 
not in calf, unless it were extra uterine, and that, in all probability, 
the mass we could feel from the outside was a tumor within the 
abdomen. I also added that medicine could do no good in such a 
case. He at once decided on having her killed, which afforded me 
the opportunity of making a post mortem examination. All the 
viscera were healthy, with the exception of those I send. The 
liver, as you will see, is the organ principally affected. It weighed, 
when first removed, one hundred and forty-six pounds. Its great 



THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 213 

size led to its encroaching on the space occupied by the other vis- 
cera, all of which were more or less compressed. It did not adhere 
to the side of the abdomen, but was firmly attached to the dia- 
phragm, and also, in places, to the intestines. In my examination 
I had the assistance of Mr. Hearn, M. R. C. V. S., who was re- 
cently your pupil, and who has, I believe, also written to you on 
the subject. The cause of the enlargement of the liver is evident 
enough, being produced by hydatids, but I leave to you to describe 
the variety to which they belong. I have attended post mortem 
examinations of many cattle since 1828, but never met with any 
thing like this before. 

[The description given by Mr. Gregory leaves us but little to 
say respecting this extraordinary enlargement of the liver, as 
stated by him. The sole cause of its increase in size was due to 
the presence of an immense number of hydatids in the substance 
of the organ. These entozoa belonged to the variety designated 
the aeephalocystis endogena, and each cyst contained within it a 
considerable quantity of the so-called echinococci. In the ' Trans- 
actions of the Veterinary Medical Association/ for 1842-3, a simi- 
lar case is recorded as occurring in a pig, which is illustrated by a 
colored plate, and which may be said to depict equally as well 
the condition of the liyer of the animal in question.]" 

Jaundice, ob Yellows. 

This disease is of very common occurrence among horned crea- 
tures. The stall-fed animal is, probably, more subject to it than 
those otherwise fed. From this the reader will infer that it is 
more likely to occur in the winter or spring than at any other 
season, which is the case. In order to prove this, let any one 
visit our markets, and note the color of the fat of beef, and he will 
notice the yellow appearance of almost all the beef offered for sale. 
There may be some exceptions, yet this feature of fat is a sure 
sign that the animals, while living, were not entirely free from 
functional derangement of the liver. This peculiar color, how- 
ever, is very rarely, if ever, found to pervade the brain, humors 
of the eye, or the milk during lactation. 

Occasionally a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces (membranes 
of the mouth, nose, and eyes) appears very suddenly, and is sup- 
posed to originate from sympathetic action of the brain upon the 



214 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

liver ; yet it may arise in the same sudden manner, in consequence 
of gastrointestinal irritation, produced by the introduction of 
poisonous plants and rough food, such as corn-stalks and sugar- 
cane, into the stomach. Jaundice, in a very protracted form, often 
owes its origin to the presence of biliary calculi. So say the au- 
thorities ; but I have examined many gall-bladders after death, 
yet have never succeeded in finding any ; and I have inquired of 
many slaughterers, and am informed that they never observed any 
stones in the gall-bladder; yet, in various alkaline districts of this 
country, I presume biliary calculi may be as common as in the 
chalky regions of the old world. According to concurrent testi- 
mony, the presence of biliary calculi in the gall-bladder of an ox 
does not interfere much with the general health ; but they occasion 
a jaundiced appearance, a general eye-sore, which renders yellow 
beef unacceptable to the palate of an epicure, and the shrewd 
butcher declines to deal in any thing yellow, except pure " dust." 
1 know of no symptoms by which the presence of biliary calculi 
can be detected prior to death. 

The folloAving paragraph occurs in "You att on Cattle," and 
may throw some light on the subject : 

" Sometimes, they (calculi) enter the duct (the cyst) which con- 
veys the bile to the intestines. They are likely to do this on ac- 
count of their swimming on the surface of the fluid which the 
bladder contains. The cystic duct is large at its union with the 
bladder. It is a continuation of the neck of the bladder, and the 
gall-stone may be easily pressed into the commencement of the 
tube ; but it has scarcely entered it before its passage is obstructed 
by the folds of the inner coat of the duct. These assume a semi- 
lunar form, with the edges projecting toward the bladder, and they 
act as partial valves, retarding the progress of the bile, so that it 
may not all be pressed out at once, but gradually escape as the 
process of digestion may require. The gall-stone being thus im- 
pacted, violent spasmodic action takes place in the muscles of the 
duct, occasioned by the irritation of its continued pressure. It is 
fortunate, however, that, although the muscles of these ducts act 
with some power, the obstruction is usually, with no great diffi- 
culty, overcome. The duct distends ; as it distends these valvular 
folds lie closer to the sides, and no longer oppose the passage of the 
calculus, which is pressed on until it reaches the common duct. 
The caliber of this tube is larger, and, unless the calculus is of con- 



THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 215 

siderable bulk, no further difficulty occurs until it reaches the 
opening into the duodenum, which, being situated in the center of 
a muscular prominence, acting as a valve, and preventing the pas- 
sage of all matters, whether fluid or solid, from the intestine into 
the ducts, a new difficulty is opposed to the progress of the gall- 
stones, and there is some return of pain, and, in a few cases, the 
pain is evidently more intense than in the early stage. At length, 
this sphincter muscle of the duodenum dilates, the calculus enters 
the intestinal canal, the pain ceases, ahd the natural color of the 
skin returns. In this species of jaundice, we have, in addition tc 
the yellow skin, the heaving of the flanks, the hard, concentrated 
pulse, the diminished appetite, the insatiable thirst, and the other 
symptoms of fever. Then, too, we have the alternate cold and 
heat of the ears, the roughness of the coat, the urine becoming 
first of a transparent yellow, and then opaque red, saffron-colored, 
or brown, and the sediment brown. The bowels are constipated, 
the feces seldom evacuated, and, when appearing, are hard and 
black." 

Treatment. — When occasioned by the presence of gall-stones, the 
animal should have a daily drench, composed of 

Hydrochloric acid 2 dr. 

Water 1 quart. 

Every other day, give three drachms of fluid extract of man- 
drake. This will arouse the liver to healthy and vigorous action 
and will remove from the intestinal canal all irritating substances. 

"When jaundice is occasioned by either functional or organic dis- 
ease of the liver, I generally give the following : 

Fluid extract of mandrake 1 oz. 

Powdered hyposulphite of soda \ oz. 

Water 1 pint. 



Mi 



IX. 



Let this dose be given every morning, before feeding, for five 
or six days, or until the visible surface of the mouth becomes of a 
more natural color. In the day time the animal should be turned 
out to grass, if the season permits. 



SECTION XIV. 

DISEASES OF THE SKIN 

Exanthemata, or Eruptive Fever — Mange — Foul in the Foot — Warts- 
Gadflies — Yoke Galls — The Hair or Cattle an Epidermic Appendage- 
Pemphygis or Vesicular Eruption — Cracks in the Heels of Cattle. 



Exanthemata, or Eruptive Fever. 

IX ANTHEM ATA is the name given to a contagious (some- 
times epizootic) or eruptive fever which occurs among cattle. 
The following cases will probably give the reader a good idea of 
the cause and nature of the malady now under consideration : 

An unusual and alarming disease having made its appearance 
on the premises of Mr. Waterman, at Warsaw, I was requested 
to visit the place, in view of ascertaining, if possible, the nature 
of the disease, its cause, and treatment. On arriving at the place 
designated, I learned that disease and death had run riot, making 
terrible ravages among a herd of cattle which, only a few weeks 
ago, numbered eight hundred, but are now reduced to six hun- 
dred. The loss of two hundred fine animals in the course of a 
few weeks was a calamity calculated to alarm the husbandmen in 
the whole neighborhood. 

From information obtained on the premises, I learned that no 
disease of the kind had ever prevailed there, nor in the regions 
where the cattle had been purchased, but the most positive evi- 
dence seemed to show that the malady had a spontaneous origin 
on the premises of the proprietor. Some of the animals were 
purchased in Missouri, and, when they arrived at Warsaw, were 
as poor as Pharaoh's " lean kine," splendid specimens of skin and 
bone. The dietary arrangements of the establishment were not 
calculated to benefit their condition, their principal food being 
" slop" from the distillery. It was not the intention of the owner 
(216) 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 217 

to feed this large herd of cattle exclusively on "swill," but his 
stock of hay having become exhausted, and the roads being in 
very bad condition, it was impossible to obtain a supply of the 
same. In consequence the function of rumination, or remastica- 
tion, was suspended. The hot " swill " from the distillery failed 
to distend the complex stomach of the animal to a healthy ca- 
pacity; it operated so as to produce a lax state of the bowels, 
amounting, in a large number of cases, to actual diarrhea, or 
liquid stools having an offensive odor. The constant discharge 
from the bowels of liquid feces augmented the debility of the 
"lean kine." They became afflicted with a mortal malady, or 
enzootic affection, which ran like wild fire through the whole 
herd. It manifested itself, first, in a condition of anemia ; then 
depilation of the hair took place ; the external surface of the 
body, in many cases, presented a raw Surface, and the animals 
seemed to be crazy to rub themselves against any fulcrum that 
would mitigate their intolerable itchiness. Many of them got 
down on the floor, and, by contact, abraded the external surface 
of the body in many places, so that the raw flesh was exposed, 
and, in some cases, the hip bones protruded. It was noticed that 
whenever an animal thus affected got down on the floor, death 
invariably closed the scene. Some of the creatures thus having 
the finger of Death upon them were charitably put out of their 
misery, by killing them outright. 

It appeared to be of an exanthematous character, and conta- 
gious. The proof of its contagiousness seemed to be evident, from 
the fact that the whole herd were affected with precisely the same 
pathological symptoms ; namely, depilation of hair, debility, erup- 
tions on the surface of the body, anemia, diarrhea, etc. I might 
be mistaken about the contagious element of the disease, but give 
my readers the facts, and leave them to form their own opinions. 
It may be that the evils to which the animals were subjected, and 
which was operative in implanting the malady in the system of 
the first victim, was operative, and produced the same in all the 
rest of the herd ; but I have no proof of a positive character to 
offer in favor of either theory. 

I had supposed that the skin disease was, like itch, dependent 
on the presence of parasites located under the scarfskin ; but in 
the use of a good magnifying power, the supposed parasites were 
not discernible, but beneath the scarfskin, in the integuments and 



218 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

subtissues, were observed a multitude of minute local beds oi 
lymph, from which sprang the superficial local malady on the 
skin. Incrustations, or scales, solitary and in clusters, formed 
wherever the deeper-seated integuments were aifected ; and in 
some cases, when the scabs were rubbed off, the parts looked red 
and inflamed, and some persons contended that the animals had 
the red or mad itch. Almost every person who saw the animals 
declared that itch was the disease ; but, knowing that itch is due 
to the presence of parasites, and failing to detect any, I could not 
so name the malady. 

I examined very carefully the external surface of the body, yet 
could not detect either lice or parasites to account for the intoler- 
able itchiness which was present, more or less, in the whole herd. 
From all the evidence I w T as enabled to obtain during a brief 
visit, I was forced to the conclusion that the cutaneous affection 
was of an exanthematous character, and resembled eczema. 
Nearly all the animals were in a state of debility; all had daily 
been losing flesh, and those which I had examined after death 
were anemiac (bloodless). Their muscles were pale, like those of 
a calf when bled to death. Their stomachs and intestines were 
void of food; the hot swill seemed to have found no resting-place 
in the digestive cavities, but ran through them like a dose of 
cathartic medicine. The internal organs of those animals I ex- 
amined presented no signs of disease, except that they were pale 
and bloodless. 

Causes. — The causes of the disease may be summed up as fol- 
lows : Debility, from insufficient nutritive food ; the filthy condi- 
tion of the cattle-pens and surroundings ; herding of too many 
animals together in a small space ; want of pure air, exercise, and 
muscle-making nitrogenous fodder. 

Treatment. — I informed the proprietor of the establishment that 
no medicinal remedies would be of any avail unless the exciting 
causes were removed, and suggested that the afflicted animals be 
allowed the use of their limbs and lungs on dry ground, in the 
open air, within an extensive inclosure, and that they should be 
allowed a bounteous supply of hay, corn, and corn-stalks; then 
medicinal remedies of a tonic, stimulant, and alterative character, 
which I prescribed, might prove beneficial. For the local affec- 
tion, I prescribed linseed oil, petroleum, lime-water, and sulphur. 
Several applications of this compound were made, and the subjects 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 219 

were much benefited thereby. Many of the affected animals, 
however, were in such a deplorable condition that I urged the 
owner to have them destroyed, as a deed of charity. 

Mange. 

This disease is too well known to need any particular descrip- 
tion from me. It is due to the presence of parasites; hence it can 
be communicated by contact or touch, and is, therefore, conta- 
gious. This latter fact suggests the propriety of removing the 
diseased animals from the healthy ones. 

Treatment. — Let the animal have a table-spoonful of sulphur in 
the food, for three or four days in succession ; in the mean time, 
anoint the affected parts daily with a portion of the following : 

Cod-liver oil 6 oz. 

Sublimated sulphur 2 oz. 

Mix. 

Apply by means of a sponge. 

In the course of four or five days, wash the surface of the body 
with warm water and soap, and then give the body a thorough 
sponging with the following : 

Lime-water 1 qt. 

Sublimated sulphur 2 oz. 

The above treatment generally cures the most inveterate cases. 



Foul in the Foot. 

In cases of this character the animal is dead lame, and often an 
intolerable stench arises from the parts between the claws. This 
is followed by the discharge of sanious and, finally, purulent 
matter. In this stage astringents and antiseptics are indicated; 
therefore I recommend the following : 

Tincture of matico 2 oz. 

Pyroligneous acid 1 pt. 

Glycerine" 4 oz. 

Mis. 

Saturate a small piece of sponge with a portion of the above, 
and introduce it between the "cleft" of the foot; the hoof and 
contiguous parts are then to be bathed with the preparation ; and. 



220 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

finally, in view of keeping the sponge in place, and to produce a 
good effect on the external parts, a narrow bandage must be ap- 
plied, so as to encircle the hoof. If any heat or tenderness exist, 
the bandage should be kept moist with cold water. 

Warts. 

Warts, as they occur on cattle, are of three kinds. One makes 
its appearance upon the skin, and consists, in part, of an increased 
development of the epidermis or scarfskin; the next kind origi- 
nates under the epidermis, and, as it grows, elevates the same ; the 
latter, however, is nothing more than a common encysted fibrous 
tumor, without organization. This can readily be removed by 
cutting down upon it, and dissecting out the cyst or sac which 
enshrouds it. The epidermic wart sometimes has a very broad 
base, and, in order to remove it, a double-armed ligature must be 
sent through it, so that it can be tied in two equal halves. Oc- 
casionally this kind of wart is pendulous — has a contracted neck 
at its base. This may be encircled by a single ligature, and, in 
the course of thirty-six hours, will fall off. The third kind of 
wart is a sort of fungous excrescence — not horny or hard, like 
the two former, but possessing great vascularity, and, when 
rubbed or bruised, they often bleed profusely. I lately removed 
one from the inferior jaw of an ox, which bled very profusely 
after the removal, and did not cease until a hemostatic had been 
repeatedly applied. The hemostatic was powdered matico leaves, 
which coagulated the albumen of the blood. There is great dan- 
ger in removing warts of this kind. The following case, occurring 
in the practice of Surgeon Caetwright, will illustrate the prop- 
osition : 

"On the 1st of June, 1846, I removed several warts from the 
linea alba of a year-old heifer, belonging to Samuel Worthington, 
Esq. I cast her, and cut them off with the knife, and did not 
apply any thing to the wounds, as they did not bleed an ounce. 
I could see one or two large blood-vessels on the surface of the 
wounds. We loosed her from the hobbles, and then tied her up, 
and the wounds soon left off bleeding. Gave her an aperient, 
and left her for the night. 

The next morning she was found down, and could scarcely get 
up from loss of blood, which continued to issue through a large 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 221 

band that was passed round her. I was immediately sent for, 
but was gone to Liverpool. They, in consequence, applied to a 
druggist, who sent some alum-water, which stopped the blood, 
In a day or two I saw her, but, as a scab was then forming on the 
wounds, I did not meddle with it ; soon afterward the parts were 
cicatrized. 

There is no doubt but that, after she was left, she commenced 
licking the wounds, and so brought on the secondary hemorrhage. 
The person who looked after her believes that, had not something 
been done at the time, she would have bled to death. From this 
and other cases that I have seen, I think it absolutely necessary 
that we should guard against the animals licking themselves, and 
perhaps it would be quite as well to apply the cautery to the 
parts, after removing the warts, or subsequently." 

When a large surface is occupied by warts which do not possess 
any definite necks, they must be cut off close to the skin, and the 
surfaces thus exposed should be touched with strong pyroligneous 
acid, and then sprinkled with powdered bloodroot. 

Warts on the teats are to be removed by ligaturing them at 
their base, by means of saddler's silk, or horsehair. If securely 
tied, so as to obstruct circulation, they drop off in the course of 
thirty-six hours. Any sores which may occur in consequence of 
the removal of warts, can be healed by covering them once or 
twice daily with a small quantity of glycerine. 

Gadflies. 

The gadfly is known to naturalists as the cestris bovis. It punc- 
tures the integument of cattle, and then deposits its ova, or eggs. 
In this situation the ova mature, until they are capable of enjoy- 
ing an independent existence. They then make their exit through 
the external outlet, fall to and burrow into the ground, and remain 
there until the period of their metamorphosis takes place, when 
they assume the form of winged insects. In this form they mul- 
tiply the species by the deposit of their ova. They probably occa- 
sion much irritation ; and, in view of getting rid of them, I usually 
puncture the tumor, by means of a thumb-lancet, and squeeze out 
the parasite. 

The following paragraph is from the pen of Gunther ; and I 
urge the reader, if he be the owner of live stock, to give them an 



222 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

occasional dose of sulphur; for I contend that no living creature 
can ever be infested with parasites when its system is saturated 
with sulphur : 

" The gadfly not only persecutes healthy oxen, by its bites, dur- 
ing summer, but also deposits its eggs in their skin, which give 
rise to tumors on the back and other parts, in which the larvae 
become developed. They live there on the succulent fluid % rich 
the soft parts secrete, and make their escape thence in the follow- 
ing spring, in order to become metamorphosed. The greater the 
number of tumors, the more is the strength of the animal dimin- 
ished by the pain and suppuration. For this reason we should 
endeavor to free the animal, as soon as possible, from these larvae 
pests, by frequently washing these tumors with camphorated brandy 
or forcibly compressing them, which either crushes the insect or 
forces it to make its exit. When they have attained the size of a 
filbert, an incision must be made into the part, which is then to be 
covered with a pitch plaster. A few doses of sulphur are to be 
given internally. We are told that those oxen which have taken 
sulphur for a long period of time are not infested by gadflies." 

Yoke Galls. 

The exciting cause is local irritation occasioned by the yoke. 

Treatment. — So soon as an abrasion is discovered on the neck, 
the animal should be excused from duty for a few days. The 
abraded part should be lubricated two or three times daily, with 
a small quantity of glycerine. In most cases, however, a few ap- 
plications of tincture of aloes and myrrh will produce a healthy 
action, and thus restore the parts to soundness. Should there be 
no abrasion, yet some tumefaction, heat, and tenderness, a cold- 
water bandage, renewed as occasion seems to require, will, in most 
cases, have the desired effect. Occasionally the integuments are so 
bruised as to induce induration (hardening). Local induration in 
the neck is a morbid condition of parts, known to the farriers of 
old as " sit-fast." The treatment consists in smearing the part 
with a portion of the following : 

Iodine -| dr. 



Simple ointment 7 dr. 

Powd 
Mix. 



Powdered bloodroot | dr. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 223 

A few applications of a portion of the above will have the effect 
of removing the sit-fast, or. eschar, when a healthy granulating 
surface will appear. 

Some animals, owing to a peculiarity of constitution, will 
"chafe," as the saying is, in those parts which come in contact 
with the yoke, and no human foresight or mechanical contrivance 
can prevent it ; therefore, in view of protecting the parts against 
the local irritation and its consequences, I recommend the follow- 
ing liquid cuticle: 

Collodion ) -& , , 

Castor oil j Equal parts. 

After washing the abrasion with soap and water, wipe dry, and 
smear it all over with a portion of the above invaluable liquid 
cuticle. 



The Hair of Cattle is an Epidermic Appendage. 

According to Carpenter, hair is an epidermic appendage, al- 
though not developed upon the external surface, but in the interior 
of a follicle (sac or fold) formed by a depression of the true skin. 
This follicle is lined by a continuation of the epidermis (scarfskin), 
the cells of which are developed in peculiar abundance from a spot 
at its deepest portion, the dense exterior of the cluster thus formed 
being known as the "bulb of the hair," while the softer interior 
is termed its pulp. Although the hairs of different animals vary 
in the appearances they present, we may generally distinguish two 
elementary principles corresponding with those which we meet 
with in the stem of a feather ; namely, a cortical resembling bark, 
and a medullary resembling marrow. The fullest development 
of both substances is seen in the spine hairs of the hedgehog, and 
in the quills of the porcupine, which are but hairs on a magnified 
scale. The cortical envelope of hairs is a continuation of the outer 
scales or layers of the epidermis that lines the follicles, while the 
medullary is derived from the deeper stratum, whose cells are pro- 
duced in usual abundance at its coecal (blind) extremity ; and it is 
by the constant development of new cells at this point that the 
continual growth of the hair is kept up. 



224 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Pemphigus, or. Vesiculae Eruption. 

In the United States, (at least in the East,) pemphigus is of rare 
occurrence, yet it has made its appearance in Texas and in the 
"Western States. The following symptoms, which usually accom- 
pany this eruptive affection, may enable the reader to recognize it. 

Symptoms. — The breathing is generally hurried and sonorous, 
accompanied by a slight cough ; the animal shivers, which is oc- 
casioned by deranged and irregular nervous action ; the integument 
in the regions of the neck, shoulders, anus, loins, and haunches is 
elevated by effusion into the cellular tissue ; the cuticle, or external 
tunic of the body, is the seat of watery bladders, varying in size 
from a Beverly bean to a walnut ; in other parts of the skin a 
serous or watery fluid may be observed to dribble from the hair. 
The ears are drooping and moist, and their temperature is much 
elevated ; the base of the horns are hot, and the whole external 
surface of the body is in the same condition ; the visible surfaces — 
namely, those of the eyes, mouth, and nose — are highly injected 
with a reddened yellow tinge ; the tongue is swollen or tumefied, 
and an abundance of saliva flows from the mouth ; the pulse will 
often run up to 80, yet may be imperceptible at the jaw; the 
spinal column presents a convexity, or is arched upward ; the 
urine is scanty and dark-colored, and the feces are of a lighter color 
than usual, showing very conclusively that the function of the 
liver is impaired. As the disease advances, the serous tumors 
burst, exposing broad excoriated patches. 

Treatment. — Let a portion of the following mixture be applied 
to the surface of the body, morning and evening : 

Glycerine 2 oz. 

Hyposulphite of soda 2 oz. 

Rain-water 1 pint. 

Mix well together. After this lotion has been applied a few 
times, a decided improvement in the skin will be apparent. 

A few daily doses of the following medicine must also be given : 

Fluid extract of poke-root 3 dr 

Chlorate of potass 4 dr. 

Water J pint. 

A few years ago a vesicular epizootic broke out among cattle 
and milch cows at Stratford-on-Avon, England, the symptoms of 
which are thus described by J. Tombs, V. S. : 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 225 

" The symptoms were, increased pulsation ; copious discharge of 
saliva from the mouth; respiration, disturbed. These symptoms 
continued for two or three clays, when a tremendous inflammation 
of the integuments and cellular tissues set in, around the coronets 
at the heels and between the hoofs, causing exceeding lameness 
and excruciating pain. The swelling quickly extended to the fet- 
locks. The poor beasts lay down the greater portion of their 
time — panted and perspired profusely, with occasional deep groan- 
ing. At this stage of the disease the mouth improved. When 
made to get up, they could hardly walk, and soon lay down again. 
The beating of the heart could be distinctly heard several yards 
off. In some, all four feet were affected ; in others, the fore-feet ; 
others, the hind feet, and in some one fore-foot. Suppuration took 
place in the integumentary and cellular membranes, five or six 
days subsequently to the original attack, which process afforded 
great relief. In the interim they became emaciated, and lost their 
milk. In a day or two after, extensive sloughing supervened of 
the integuments of the coronets and heels, and between the hoofs, 
leaving the pedal and coronary bones bare, with deep sinuses. 
The putrid parts, while sloughing, emitted an unbearable stench. 
Granulations of new flesh soon formed, which became prominent 
and luxuriant, forcing the hoofs wide apart. At this period of the 
complaint the urgent and painful symptoms considerably lessened ; 
the animals could then hobble out of the yard into a grass-field 
close by, where they were prior to the attack. The milk, flesh, 
and strength began to return, and the lameness slowly diminished, 
as the thickening of the integuments and cellular membrane be- 
came absorbed. New hoofs formed, which in some grew irregu- 
larly, and caused great tenderness for some length of time." 

Cracks in the Heels of Cattle. 

Cracked heels are generally more prevalent in the horse than 

cow; yet as I have had an opportunity of seeing and prescribing 

for a few cases of this character, I shall give the reader the benefit 

of my experience, so that, when cases of this character do occur, 

the firmer may know what to do. Some persons suppose that un- 

cleanliness is the sole cause of cracks. This is not the case; the 

subjects are predisposed to a humory condition and congestion of 

the feet. 

15 



226 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY 

Treatment. — The part must first be sponged, or, rather, washed, 
with tepid water, slightly alkalized with a small quantity of car- 
bonate of soda. I prefer soda instead of soap. The latter is apt 
to irritate the parts; and there exists no dirt nor morbid matter 
which can not be removed by an alkaline wash. After cleansing 
the parts, apply a portion of the following : 

Pyroligueous acid 2 oz. 

Kerosene 1 oz. 

Olive oil 3 oz. 

Mix. 

Apply by means of a piece of sponge. The parts should be 
dressed once per day, and oftener if necessary. The edges of the 
crack sometimes become inverted. In this case procure a small 
piece of linen, form it into a pad, and, after smearing its surface 
with a portion of the above preparation, apply it so as to press the 
lips of the gap together, and then bind it on. 

If the disease be constitutional, which may be inferred from the 
fact that the animal is said to be "subject to it" in the winter, 
then a few doses of alterative medicine may be given. The fol- 
lowing forms a very excellent stimulating alterative : 

Iodide of potassium -J oz. 

Water 1 quart. 

Tincture of sassafras 4 oz. 

Mix. 

Give a wine-glassful every morning, before feeding-time. 





SECTION XV. 

VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 

Castration — Enzootic Milk Sickness, or Trembles — Improved Method or 
Milking — Diseased Thymus Gland — Cords in Young Calves — Steamed and 
Cooked Food for Stock — Cheap Fodder for Cows — Black Tongue — Frac- 
tured Bones— Fractured Radius of a Calf — Light in Barns — Diarrhea 
in Calves — Sprains or Strains — Spaying Cows. 



Castration. 

I LABOR under an impression that the husbandmen of this 
country commit some awful mistakes in the theory and prac- 
tice of castration. The usual practice is to castrate the calf from 
one to three months after birth. This is evidently done to the 
manifest injury of form, size, and muscular development. The 
operation may tend toward fattening the animal, and improving 
the epicurean quality of its meat ; and it may render the animal 
docile, and thus increase his usefulness ; but his strength, stamina, 
and endurance are compromised by early castration. If animals 
are needed as working oxen, they should not be castrated until 
they have attained the age of three or four years. At these peri- 
ods the muscles of the neck and chest have undergone remarkable 
developments, and the animals have strength and endurance to 
make really valuable oxen for work ; whereas, if castrated at too 
early a period, the muscles of the forward parts are always defect- 
ive, lank, and lean. I am aware that there are difficulties in the 
way of keeping bulls up to the age here indicated ; yet the experi- 
ment has been tried, in this country and elsewhere, to the entire 
satisfaction of the parties that made the experiments ; therefore, I 
recommend farmers not to castrate calves intended for work-oxen 
until their muscular system is well developed ; and even in view 
of obtaining good beef, and developing the propensity to fatten, 

(227) 



228 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

I should let the calves remain uncastrated for six months or more. 
It has been urged, by some writers, that the danger of castration 
is less in young than adult animals. This may be correct, yet I 
apprehend but little danger in castrating either a horse or bull at 
any age, provided the creature is in the enjoyment of health, and 
the operation be properly performed. 

In many parts of France the bull-calf is castrated by means of 
a curious species of torsion, termed bistournage. The animal is 
thrown and secured. The operator places himself behind the ani- 
mal, and opposite to the tail ; he seizes the testicles with both his 
hands, and pushes them violently upward and downward several 
times, in order to destroy their adhesion to their coverings. He 
continues this manipulation until he thinks that he has produced 
sufficient lengthening of the cords, and dilatation of the bag itself. 
He then pushes up the left testicle as nearly as possible to the 
ring, leaving the right one low in the bag; he seizes the cord 
of the right testicle between the finger and thumb of the left 
hand, about an inch above the testicle, and, grasping the bottom 
of the scrotum with his right hand, he turns the testicle, and 
pushes it forcibly upward, until he has reversed it, and its inferior 
extremity is uppermost. Some little practice is required in order 
readily to effect this. Then, the right hand holding the testicle 
while the left hand raises the cord, the testicle is turned round 
from right to left four or five or six times, until there is a degree 
of tension and difficulty in the turning, which indicates that the 
spermatic vessels are so far compressed or obliterated as to be 
deprived of the power of secreting or conveying the seminal fluid. 
The testicle is by this means brought up nearly to the abdominal 
ring, where it is retained by turning the scrotum over it, while 
the left testicle is brought down, reversed, and turned in the same 
manner. Last of all, in order to prevent the untwisting of the 
cords and the descent of the testicles, the operator grasps the bot- 
tom of the scrotum in his left hand, and, holding one end of a 
piece of cord, eighteen inches in length, and about as large as a 
quill, between his teeth, and having the other end in his right 
hand, he makes with it several turns round the scrotum with con- 
siderabl z firmness below and close to the testicles, yet not so tightly 
as quite to stop the circulation of blood through the bag. This is 
taken away at the end of the second day, after which the testicles 
will remain fixed against the abdomen, and will gradually wither 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 229 

away. The animal is usually bled after the operation, and half 
of its allowance of food taken away. 

I lately castrated two horses, at the respective ages of twelve 
and seventeen years, and they have both done well; yet, if they 
had been " prepared," as the books recommend, I might have lost 
both animals ; and I verily believe that the once popular method 
of physicking (prostrating) animals before castration has been the 
cause of many unnecessary deaths. 

In castrating bullocks, I apply a ligature around the whole 
cord, for it is not always safe to merely ligature the spermatic 
artery, as the reader will perceive by reading the following para- 
graph : 

Herring has observed that, after tying the spermatic artery, 
without difficulty, in two places, and cutting between them, the 
spermatic cord being then cut across two inches below, arterial 
hemorrhage sometimes ensued. It is easy to account for blood 
flowing through the spermatic veins, after this operation, by a 
retrograde circulation in the wide vessels; but, as regards the 
arterial hemorrhage, Herring was in doubt, until, after several 
injections of the spermatic cord, he found that the spermatic ar- 
tery often divides into two nearly equal branches ; if but one be 
tied, on removing the testicles, the other division bleeds. Her- 
ring afterward injected several testicles and spermatic cords. of 
bulls, and found an extraordinarily rich net-work of veins, which 
differs in many points from the pampiniform plexus of the sper- 
matic cord in man, horse, dog, etc. In the spermatic cord of the 
horse, we observe the artery making a large number of curves on 
itself until it reaches the testicle ; and from the latter organ arise 
numerous veins, which coil upward, but now join in several 
branches which pass up with the artery, anastomosing at inter- 
vals, and forming a net-work, the meshes of which are in the 
shape of parallelograms- In the bull, on the contrary, the veins 
are exceedingly numerous, and spin round the artery like the ten- 
drils of a climbing plant round a wire ; and this is seen high up 
in the abdomen, so that, in successful injections, the spermatic ar- 
tery is .completely hidden. 

Some persons may object to the plan of applying a ligature 
around the whole cord, and Youatt speaks of it as a cruel op- 
eration. I can not conceive how there can be any more cruelty 
la it than when the " clams " are used. The pressure on the cord 



230 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

is the same; and all the difference is, I use saddler's silk instead 
of wooden clams. I have castrated a great number of animals, 
at all ages, by means of a ligature around the cord, and have never 
met with loss or accident. 

Method of Castration. — There is very little danger in castrating 
a young calf, and it is very rare that a surgeon is ever called upon 
to perform the operation ; yet I would advise persons who are in 
the habit of castrating these young animals to make free openings 
into the scrotum and inner covering of the testicles. This inner 
covering is called tunica vaginalis. If too small an opening be 
made, the swollen cord will be imprisoned by the divided edges 
of the tunica vaginalis, which will untimately end in hardening 
or scirrhosity of the end of the cord, or else there will be scrotal 
abscess. A large opening into the scrotum and tunic is necessary, 
in order to postpone union of the external parts, until the tissues 
above and within have healed. 

When castrating bullocks, I either secure them in the trevis 
and partly etherize them, or else cast them with the hobbles (see 
cut of instruments), and render them completely insensible by 
ether. I then grasp the scrotum, between the belly and testicle, 
and make an incision on one side and at the lower part of the 
scrotum sufficiently large to allow the testicle to escape. The 
testicle then hangs by the cord. A ligature is then passed around 
the latter, which must be tied tight enough to compress the blood- 
vessels and prevent after-bleeding. The cord is then divided, and 
one end of the string may be cut very close to the knot, so that a 
slight pull will untie it. The other testicle is to be proceeded with 
in the same manner, and the operation is complete. It is proper, 
however, to return the cord within the inner tunic, or covering of 
the testicle, and one end of the ligature is left long enough to hang 
out of the wound. In the course of a week, if the ligatures do 
not come away, a slight pull will detach them. 

I never make use of any dressing, except when a bad odor arises 
from the parts. The best remedy, under such circumstances, is 
diluted pyroligneous acid, in the following proportions : 

Pyroligneous acid.. ..*... 3 oz. 

Water 15 oz. 

Mix. 

Let the parts be well cleansed, night and morning, with a por 
tion of the above. Should any undue amount of swelling ensue,, 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 231 

the parts are to be rubbed occasionally with an ounce or two of 
sweet spirits of niter. 

I find that exercise operates favorably in preventing scrotal 
swelling, which is a condition of the parts known to surgeons as 
local effusion (dropsy) ; and, as exercise at pasture always tends to 
reduce these kinds of swellings, I generally, if the weather per- 
mits, place the castrated animal under the care of " Doctor Green/*' 
(a good pasture,) where the patient can vitalize its blood with pure 
air, promote the integrity of the whole system by voluntary exer- 
cise of the muscles, and partake of herbage calculated to benefit the 
whole animal economy. 

Enzootic Milk Sickness, or Trembles. 

The cause or origin of enzootic milk sickness (commonly de- 
nominated " trembles ") is a subject of much speculation. Various 
are the opinions and conclusions of medical and non-medical men. 
It has been asserted that a creeping vine, known to luxuriate in 
forest regions, occasions the disease. The theory is that this vine, 
or vegetable parasite, is matured in the latter months of summer, 
or the first autumnal, at which season of the year the grass becomes 
dry and tough, when the cattle resort to the timbered land for 
sustenance, feeding upon the (supposed) vine ; and as the animal 
is (without satisfactory evidence) susceptible to its (imaginary) 
influence, it often sickens and dies ; yet, strange to relate, many 
animals located in the same regions escape the pest. And, in 
order to sustain this faulty theory, we are informed that the lucky 
creatures who live and die at a respectable bovine age know 
enough to give the poisonous plant the go-by. This is nothing 
more than mere speculation, for the disease very frequently occurs 
when the ground is covered with snow. 

Dr. Graff informs us that the general appearance of the in- 
fected - districts is somewhat peculiar. " The quality of the soil 
is, in general, of an inferior description. The growth of timber 
is not observed to be so luxuriant as in situations otherwise simi^ 
lar, but is scrubby, and stunted in its perfect development, in 
many instances, simulating what, in the West, is denominated 
{ barrens.' " 

JNow, it is possible that these barrens do not furnish a sufficient 
amount of carbon, in the form of food, for the metamorphoses of 



232 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the tissues ; and if we take into consideration that the animal re- 
ceives, during the day, while in search of this food, a large supply 
of oxygen, and at the same time the waste of the body is increased 
by the extra labor required to select sufficient nutriment — it being 
scanty in such situations — then it follows that this disproportion 
between the quantity of carbon in the food and that of oxygen 
absorbed by the skin and lungs must induce a diseased or abnor- 
mal condition. The animal is sometimes fat, at others lean. Some 
of the cows attacked with this disease were fat, and in apparent 
health, and nothing peculiar was observed until immediately pre- 
ceding the outbreak of the fatal symptoms. The presence of fat 
is generally proof positive of an abnormal state ; and, in such 
cases, the liver or spleen is often diseased. The blood then becomes 
loaded with fat and oil, and is finally deposited in the cellular tis- 
sues. The reader will now understand how an animal accumulates 
fat, notwithstanding it be furnished with insufficient diet. All 
that I wish to contend for is, that in such cases vital resistance is 
compromised. We are told that, in the situation alluded to, veg- 
etation was stunted, etc. ; and knowing that vegetables are com- 
posed of nearly the same materials which constitute animal organ- 
ization — the carbon or fat of the former being deposited in the 
seeds and fruits, and that of the latter in the cellular structure — 
then we can arrive at but one conclusion ; namely, that any loca- 
tion unfavorable to vegetation is likewise ill-adapted to preserve 
the integrity of animal life. 

In connection with this, it must be remembered that, during the 
night, the soil emits excrementitious vapors, which are taken into 
the animal system by the process of respiration. In the act of 
rumination, vapor is also inclosed in the globules of saliva, and 
thus reaches the stomach. Many plants which, during the day, 
may be eaten with impunity by cattle, actually become poisonous 
•during the night! This, I am aware, will meet with some oppo- 
sition, to combat which I quote from Liebig : 

"How powerful, indeed, must the resistance appear which the 
vital force supplies to leaves charged with oil of turpentine or 
tannic acid, when we consider the affinity of oxygen for these 
compounds ! This intensity of action, or of resistance, the plant 
obtains by means of the sun's light, the effect of which, in chem- 
ical actions, may be, and is, compared to that of a very high tem- 
perature (moderate red heat). During the night an opposite 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 233 

process goes on in the plant. We see, then, that the constituents 
of the leaves and green parts combine with the oxygen of the 
air — a property which in daylight they did not possess. From 
these facts we can draw no other conclusion but this: that the 
intensity of the vital force diminishes with the abstraction of 
light ; that with the approach of night a state of equilibrium is 
established, and that in complete darkness all those constituents 
of plants which, during the day, possessed the power of sepa- 
rating oxygen from chemical combinations, and of resisting its 
action, lose their power completely. 

A precisely similar phenomenon is observed in animals. The 
living animal body exhibits its peculiar manifestations of vitality 
only at certain temperatures. When exposed to a certain degree 
of cold, these vital phenomena entirely cease. The abstraction of 
heat must, therefore, be viewed as quite equivalent to a dimi- 
nution of the vital energy. The resistance opposed by the vital 
force to external causes of disturbance must diminish, in certain 
temperatures, in the same ratio in which the tendency of the ele- 
ments of the body to combine with the oxygen of the air increases. 

It is obvious that the cause of the generation of force — namely, 
the change of matter — is diminished, because, with the abstraction 
of heat, as in the plant by abstraction of light, the intensity of the 
vital force diminishes. It is also obvious that the momentum of 
force in a living part depends on its proper temperature, exactly 
as the effect of a falling body stands in a fixed relation to certain 
other conditions; for example, to the velocity attained in falling. 
When the temperature sinks, the vital energy diminishes; when 
it again rises, the momentum of force in the living parts appears 
once more in all its original intensity. The production of force 
for mechanical purposes, and the temperature of the body, must, 
consequently, bear a fixed relation to the amount of oxygen which 
can be absorbed in a given time by the animal body. 

The quantities of oxygen which a whale and a carrier's horse 
can inspire in a given time are very unequal. The temperature 
as well as the quantity of oxygen is much greater in the horse. 
The force exerted by a whale, when struck with the harpoon, his 
body being supported by the surrounding medium, and the force 
exerted by a carrier's horse, which carries its own weight and a 
heavy burden for eight or ten hours, must both bear the same 
ratio to the oxygen consumed. If we take into consideration the 



234 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

time during which the force is manifested, it is obvious that the 
amount of force developed by the horse is far greater than in the 
case of the whale. 

In climbing high mountains, where, in consequence of the res- 
piration of a highly rarefied atmosphere, much less oxygen is con- 
veyed to the blood, in equal times, than in valleys or at the level 
of the sea, the change of matter diminishes in the same ratio, and 
with it the amount of force available for mechanical purposes. 
Tor the most part, drowsiness and want of force for mechanical 
exertions come on ; after twenty or thirty steps, fatigue compels us 
to a fresh accumulation of force by means of rest (absorption of 
oxygen without waste of force in voluntary motions.)" 

In the situations alluded to we generally find poisonous and 
noxious plants, with an abundance of decayed vegetable matter. 
An English writer has said : " The farmers of England might 
advantageously employ a million, at least, of additional laborers 
in clearing their wild domains of noxious plants,* which would 
amply repay them in the superior quality of their produce. They 
would then feel the truth of that axiom in philosophy, ' that he 
who can contrive to make two blades of grass, or wholesome grain, 
grow where one poisonous plant grew before, is a greater bene- 
factor to the human race than all the conquerors or heroes who 
have ever lived.'" 

The noxious plants found in such abundance in the Western 
States are among the principal causes, either directly or indirectly, 
of the great mortality among men, hoi'ses, cattle, and sheep. The 
hay would be just as destructive as when in its green state, were it 
not that, in the process of drying, the volatile and poisonous prop- 
erties of the buttercup, dandelion, poppy, and hundreds of similar 
destructive plants found in the hay, evaporate. It is evident that 

*The American farmers are just beginning to wake up on this subject, and 
before long I hope to see our pasture lands free from all poisonous plants. Dr. 
Whitlaw says: "A friend of mine had two fields cleared of buttercups, dande- 
lion, ox-eye, daisy, sorrel, hawk-weed, thistles, mullein, and a variety of other 
poisonous or noxious plants. They were dried, burnt, and their ashes strewed 
over the fields. He had them sown as usual, and found that the crops of hay 
and pasturage were more than double what they had been before. I was fur- 
nished with butter for two summers, during the months of July and AugusL. 
The butter kept for thirty days, and proved, at the end of that time, better than 
that fresh churned and brought to the Brighton or Margate markets. It would 
bear salting at that season of the year." 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 235 

if animals have partaken of such plants, although death in all cases 
do not immediately follow, there must be a deficiency of vital resist- 
ance, or loss of equilibrium, and the animal is in a negative state. 
It is, consequently, obvious that when in such a state it is more 
liable to receive impressions from external agents ; in short, is more 
subject to disease, and this disease may assume a definite form, reg- 
ulated by location. It has been observed, also, that in the infected 
districts the water is not of the best kind, neither is it very abund- 
ant; hence, in consequence of its insufficiency or unwholesome 
character, the equilibrium of health may become disturbed. 

A loss of vital resistance may also be the result of exposure. 
It has been observed that cattle which have been housed regularly 
have escaped the attacks of this malady, and that, when suffered 
to run at large, they were frequently seized with it. Therefore we 
may conclude that the indirect causes of milk sickness, or trem- 
bles, are any thing that disturbs the general health. 

Now, let us suppose that one or a combination of the preceding 
causes has operated so as to produce an abnormal state in the 
system of a cow. She is then suffered to remain in the unhealthy 
district during the night. While there, exposed to the emanations 
from the soil, she requires the whole force of her vital energies to 
ward off chemical decompositions, and prevent encroachment on 
the various functions. A contest commences between the vital 
force and chemical action, and, after a hard conflict, in their in- 
cessant endeavors to overcome each other, the chemical agency 
obtains the ascendency, and disease of a putrid type (milk fever) 
is the result. The disease may not immediately be recognized, 
for the process of decomposition may be insidious ; yet the milk 
and flesh of such an animal may communicate the disease to man 
and other animals. It is well known that almost any part of ani- 
mal bodies in a state of putrefaction, such as milk, cheese, muscle, 
pus, etc., communicate their own state of decomposition to other 
bodies. Many eminent medical men have lost their lives while 
dissecting, simply by putrefactive matter coming in contact with 
a slight wound or puncture. Dr. Graff made numerous experi- 
ments on dogs, with the flesh, etc., of animals which died of milk 
sickness. He says: "My trials with the poisoned flesh were, 
for the most part, made on dogs, which I confined; and I often 
watched the effect of the poison when administered at regular in- 
tervals. In the space of forty-eight hours from the commence- 



236 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

ment of the administration of either the butter, cheese, or flesh, I 
have observed unequivocal appearances of their peculiar action, 
while the appetite remains unimpaired until the expiration of the 
fourth or fifth day." From the foregoing remarks, the reader 
will agree with me that the disease is of a putrid type, and has a 
definite character. What is the reason of this definite character? 
All diseases are under the control of the immutable laws of Na- 
ture. They preserve their identity in the same manner that races 
of men preserve theirs. Milk sickness of the malignant type 
luxuriates in the locations referred to, for the same reasons that 
yellow fever is peculiar to warm climates and consumptions to 
cold ones, and that different localities have distinct diseases ; for 
example, ship fever, jail fever, etc. 

Before disease can attack and develop itself in the bodies of 
men or animals, the existing equilibrium of the vital powers must 
be disturbed ; and the most common causes of this disturbance I 
have already alluded to. In reference to the milk, butter, cheese, 
etc., of infected animals, and their adaptation to develop disease 
in man, and in other locations than those referred to, I observe 
that when a quantity, however small, of contagious matter is in- 
troduced into the stomach, if its antiseptic properties are the least 
deranged, the original disease (milk sickness) is produced, just as 
a small quantity of yeast will ferment a whole loaf. The trans- 
formation takes place through the medium of the blood, and 
produces a body identical with, or similar to, the exciting or con- 
tagious matter. The quantity of the latter must constantly aug- 
ment ; for the state of change or decomposition which affects one 
particle of the blood is imparted to others. The time necessary 
to accomplish it, however, depends on the amount of vital resist- 
ance, and, of course, varies in different animals. In process of 
time the whole body becomes affected, and, in like manner, it is 
communicated to other individuals; and this may take place by 
simply respiring the carbonic acid gas or morbific materials from 
the lungs of diseased animals in the infected districts. 

My principal object is to show what are the causes of this 
malady, so that the farmer can prevent its occurrence, for the 
treatment is very unsatisfactory. A writer in the " Atlanta Med- 
ical Journal " informs us : 

" Where stock cattle, for instance, are kept pent up until after 
the morning's dew, they are never affected, though they are pas- 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 237 

tured where it is known to abound. Again : if food, in the form 
of bundles of hay, or fodder, or sheaves of oats, has been cast on 
the surface of the earth where it was suspected to exist, fed to 
calves or a calf, during the morning, while wet with dew, the 
result is the death of the animal. Facts like these are, to my 
mind, evidence conclusive of its origin in the form of vapor. But 
let it originate from whence it may, it is only known in timbered 
land, and there disappears, after being once cleared, cultivated, 
and seeded with tame grass, which shows, again, if of a telluric 
source, that the toxical agent lies near the surface, and is de- 
stroyed by being shifted from its lurking-place." 

Symptoms. — The principal symptoms are irregular, nervous ac- 
tion ; trembling, tremors, spasms, and, lastly, convulsions. The 
other symptoms are such as are noticed in affections of a low 
typhoid type. The pulse is quickened, yet small; the tongue 
slightly swollen, and coated with a brown fur; the urine is high- 
colored, and the bowels are constipated; the membranes of the 
eyes are reddened, and the breath has a bad odor. 

Treatment. — If the bowels are constipated, I should give an 
aperient, composed 01 

Glauber salts „ 10 oz. 

Powdered ginger 1 dr. 

Golden seal. 1 dr. 

Tepid water «... 1 quart. 

Then let the whole length of the spine be well rubbed with two 
two or three ounces of oil of cedar. Should the breath or excre- 
ments have a very bad odor, the following must be given : 

Pyroligneous acid 2 oz. 

Glycerine 4 oz. 

Water 1 quart. 

Mix. 

Dose, a wine-glassful three or four times daily, until an improve- 
ment takes place. 

To relieve the nervous irritation and trembling, I give two 
drachms of tincture of Indian hemp, in a little water, twice daily. 
The patient is to be kept on oatmeal gruel, the quantity to be 
regulated according to actual necessity. A curable case will be 
very likely to improve under the above treatment ; if it fail, the 
owner will have the satisfaction of knowing that the patient was 
not destroyed by meddlesome medication. 



238 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



Improved Method of Milking. 

The first process in the operation of milking is to make the 
cow's acquaintance, and give her to understand that the milker 
approaches her with none other than friendly intentions ; for if he 
swears, scolds, or kicks her, she is likely to prove refractory, and 
may, possibly, give the uncouth and unfeeling milker the benefit 
of her heels, which, in my opinion, he is justly entitled to. 

Before commencing to milk the animal she should be fed, or 
have some kind of fodder. In the enjoyment of the mastication 
of the same, her attention is withdrawn from the milker's opera- 
tions, and the milk is not " held up," as the saying is, but is yielded 
freely. The milker should not sit off at a distance, like a coward, 
but his left arm should be in close contact with the leg of the cow, 
so that she can not kick. If she make the attempt when the 
milker is in close proximity with the cow's body, the former merely 
gets a push instead of a blow. Before commencing to milk, the 
teats are to be washed with cold water in warm weather, and warm 
water in winter. The object is to remove accumulated dirt, which 
otherwise would fall into the milk-pail, to the disgust of persons 
who love pure milk and hate uncleanliness. Here is a chance for 
improvement. 

The best milker is a merciful man. The udder and teats are 
highly organized and very sensitive, and these facts should be taken 
into consideration, especially when milking a young animal, for 
the parts are sometimes excessively tender, and the hard tugging 
and squeezing which many poor sensitive creatures have to endure 
at the hands of some thoughtless, hard-fisted man, are really dis- 
tressing to witness. A better milker than even a merciful man is 
a woman. The principal part of the milking in private estaolish- 
ments in foreign countries, is done by women ; and in these United 
States there are thousands of capable women out of employment 
that might be advantageously employed, in private and dairy es- 
tablishments, as milkmaids. Therefore, in view of improvement 
in the art of milking, I advise farmers to learn their wives, daugh- 
ters, and female domestics how to strip the cows. An indolent 
person (slow coach) should never be suffered to touch a cow's teats. 
The process, to say the least of it, is painful ; therefore, the best 
milker is the one that can abstract the milk in the quickest time. 
Finally, milk the cow dry. The last of the milk is the most val- 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 239 

liable, yet Mr. Hurry-up can not spare time to attend to this mat- 
ter ; consequently he loses the best of the strippings, and actually 
ruins the cow as a milker. 



Diseased Thymus Gland. 

The thymus gland, commonly known as the sweetbread, is 
usually found, after adult life, in the region of the thoracic duct, 
just within the anterior or front part of the chest ; yet the greatest 
activity and development of this gland is during foetal life. This 
is one of the glands which, according to Goodsir, is an involuted 
portion of the germinal membrane, acting as the first assimilating 
organ possessed by the foetus ; hence, as soon as the animal is born, 
and the legitimate organs of digestion are called into operation, 
the thymus dwindles away, and, in some cases, almost disappears. 
Occasionally, however, it becomes enlarged, and has to be removed 
by a surgical operation. The following instructive case occurred 
in the practice of "W. Lyon, V. S., and appeared in the " London 
Veterinarian :" 

" I beg to forward for your inspection a tumor, being the largest 
of two which were removed on the loth instant from under the 
cervial vertebra? of a yearling quey, and which, although now con- 
siderably shrunk and dry, weighs forty -nine ounces, and measures 
twenty-three inches in its greatest circumference. It rested upon 
the oesophagus, trachea, blood-vessels, and sternal muscles, except- 
ing when the animal's head was depressed ; so much so, that had 
the same degree of pressure been made on the gullet, by a tumor 
existing elsewhere, as within the chest, permanent hove, etc., would 
have been produced. 

The operation consisted in an incision through the integuments 
of the oiF-side of the neck, over and parallel to the course of the 
vessels, which exposed part of the levator humeri ; the next incis- 
ion being made right through that muscle, in the direction of its 
fibers, which brought to view part of the great tumor, exposing 
also the sub-scapulo-hyoid muscle, which was considerably but 
favorably displaced by the pressure of the lesser tumor, which in- 
clined to the off-side. The remaining incisions were made, with 
care, through numerous ligamentous-like bands and cellular mem- 
brane, by which the tumor was attached to the inter-vertebral and 
other muscles. The lesser tumor, which was more superficial, was 



240 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

then removed in the same manner, after having been very useful 
in keeping the said sub-scalpulo-hyoid muscle out of the way. 
Both tumors seemed to be indifferently supplied with blood. Ex- 
cepting the cutaneous veins, which yielded less than an ounce of 
blood, there were no blood-vessels divided; hence no artery nor 
vein required to be taken up. A few interrupted stitches were 
put in, and as the quey had necessarily to stand during the opera- 
tion, there being only one man and a boy present at its commence- 
ment, orders were given to let go the under-jaw, when the animal 
immediately sprang over a four-foot Avail. I have not seen her 
since, but have learned that she is doing well. 

I need make no remark on the origin, progress, structure, locality, 
and treatment of such tumors, such being already well-known to 
veterinary practitioners. Farmers, however, would do well (now 
that the disease is very common) to feed off cattle so affected or 
predisposed, when it is possible to do so, and not to breed from such 
stock, as it is generally difficult and sometimes impossible to re- 
move the tumors when once formed. It would also be for their 
interest to pay less attention to the direct treatment, by intrusting 
that in the hands of a practitioner, and to attend more to the neg- 
ative treatment, such as blood-letting, avoiding refrigerants, such 
as nitrate of potash, and all other medicines that tend to diminish 
the fibrine of the blood, particularly all mercurial preparations, 
and, in general, to avoid every thing formerly used in the treat- 
ment of scrofula in the human subject. But this they will not 
always attend to when any thing is wrong with any of their cattle. 
They must not merely get direct treatment, but, without due dis- 
crimination, they must share and share alike." 

Coeds in Young Calves. 

A disease to which the above name is given occasionally appears 
among young calves. It is an inflammatory affection, and particu- 
larly manifests itself in contractions of the sinews (tendinous 
structures); hence the name, "cords." White contends that 
calves are most liable to be affected by this disorder during the 
first days or weeks after they are dropped. If they outlive five or 
six weeks, they are seldom in any danger. Calves that suck their 
mothers are not so liable to the disease as those which are reared 
by hand. The greatest number of calves that fall a sacrifice to 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 241 

this disease, if not the whole of them, are those which are closely 
confined to the house from their birth, without ever being exposed 
to the free, open air. It is a well-known fact that calves which 
are dropped and remain in the fields are in little or no clanger. 
Mr. La whence, in his "Treatise on Cattle," observes, that "a 
complaint called the cords has recently destroyed a number of 
young calves in Scotland, both such as have been calved abroad 
and under shelter. Those which are brought up by hand are most 
liable, and the most dangerous period is the first week or two after 
birth." 

Treatment. — As a preventive I should give the new-born calf 
(provided we have no discharge from the bowels) a wine-glassful 
of castor-oil ; yet if the mother yield milk, and the calf imme- 
diately after birth imbibes the same, there is no need of giving any 
medicine. The object in giving castor-oil is to purge off the me- 
conium — first excrement. The first flow of milk, however, will 
meet the emergency, and it is only in cases of suspended lacteal 
secretion, or in cases of acute garget, when the cow can not yield 
milk, that I recommend the castor-oil. Should the oil purge the 
calf too actively, twenty drops of the oil of anise-seed or pepper- 
mint, may be given in half a pint of flour gruel. Should the 
animal be dangerously attacked, and the contractions of the tendi- 
nous structures violent, let the little creature be placed in a warm . 
bath for a few minutes ; then give him a good rubbing with coarse 
towels, after which he will probably do well. 

Steamed and Cooked Food for Stock. 

In view of fattening neat stock, and augmenting the quantity 
of milk in dairy cows, I recommend the use of steamed and cooked 1 
food. It has been satisfactorily proved that fat cattle of the best 
quality, may be produced by feeding them on boiled food. 

Dr. Whitlaw says : " On one occasion, a number of cows were' 
selected from a large stock, for the express purpose of making the 
trial ; they were such as appeared to be of the best kind, and those 
that gave the richest milk. In order to ascertain what particular 
food would produce the best milk, different species of grass and 
clover were tried separately, and the quality and flavor of the 
butter were found to vary very much. But what was of the most 
importance, many of the grasses were found to be coated with. 
16 



242 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

silicia, or decomposed sand, too hard and insoluble for the stom- 
achs of cattle. In consequence of this the grass was cut and well 
steamed, and Avas found to be readily digested ; and the butter 
that was made from the milk much firmer, better flavored, and 
would keep longer without salt than any other kind. Another 
circumstance that attended the experiment was that, in all the 
various grasses and grains that were intended by our Creator as 
food for man or beast, the various oils that enter into their com- 
position were so powerfully assimilated or combined with the 
other properties of the farinaceous plants, that the oil partook of 
the character of essential oil, and was not so easily evaporated as 
that of poisonous vegetables ; and experience has proved that the 
same quantity of grass, steamed and given to the cattle, will pro- 
duce more butter than when given in its dry state. This fact being 
established from numerous experiments, then, there must be a 
great saving and superiority in this mode of feeding. The meat 
of such cattle is more wholesome, tender, and better flavored than 
when fed on live ordinary food. 

" A mixed diet (boiled) is supposed to be the most economical 
for fattening cattle. ' A Scotchman, who fattens one hundred and 
fifty head of Galloway cattle annually, finds it most profitable to 
feed with bruised flaxseed, boiled with meal or barley, oats or 
Indian corn, at the rate of one part flaxseed to three parts meal, 
by weight — the cooked compound to be afterward mixed with 
cut straw or hay. From four to twelve pounds of the compound 
are given to each beast per day.' The editor of the ' Albany Cul- 
tivator ' adds : ' Would it not be well for some of our farmers who 
stall-feed cattle to try this or a similar mode? We are by no 
means certain that the ordinary food (meaning, probably, bad hay 
and corn-stalks) would pay the expense of cooking ; but flaxseed 
is known to be highly nutritious, and the cooking would not only 
facilitate its digestion, but it would serve, by mixing, to render the 
other food palatable, and, by promoting the appetite and health 
of the animal, would be likely to hasten its thrift.'" 

An article on steamed food for stock lately appeared in the col- 
umns of the " Mark Lane Express." It does not sustain my 
theory exactly, yet the closing paragraph proves all I contend for 
at the commencement of this article. It is my opinion that, in 
order to test the real value of steamed over raw food, the experi- 
ments must be conducted with great care, and be continued for 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 243 

some lime, during which it must not be expected that the animal 
will thrive in health and flesh, unless it have an occasional meal 
of its more natural food in its raw state. What I mean by the 
" real value " of steamed food, is its usefulness in the animal econ- 
omy, as a co-agent with the unsteamed articles of fodder; and, 
considerable discretion will be needed in making selections among 
articles of food, some of which might be improved, or, rather, 
rendered more acceptable to the palate and convenient for masti- 
cation, while others might be deteriorated by the same process. I 
select the following from the above source : 

" As to steaming food for cattle, there is considerable difference 
of opinion among theoretical writers. Among practical men there 
is little difference of opinion, especially where experiments have 
been individually undertaken. The late Mr. Howclen, of Law- 
head, East Lothian, undertook a series of experiments on feeding 
cattle with steamed food. Lots of cattle of similar age and breed- 
ing were selected and divided. Those cattle fed on turnips and 
potatoes, given raw, made rather greater progress than those fed 
on the prepared food, equal quantities being given. The differ- 
ence was slight ; still it was perceptible, the rate of progress being 
tested by girthing the animals, and the condition generally, by 
handling. The experiments were carried on for more than one 
season, with nearly the same result. A lot of young cattle, a year' 
and a half old, fed on boiled beans, made very rapid progress, and 
left a profit beyond payment for their food consumed. They were 
cheap when purchased, and the value of beef was at the time rela- 
tively high with that of lean cattle. Of course, the straw was not 
prepared, either by steaming or cutting into chaff. Other exper- 
iments with steamed food have been, from time to time, undertaken 
in that county, and with nearly the same result. In every case 
that came under our observation, the preparing of food by steaming 
and boiling was, after a time, given up. In feeding dairy stock 
when in milk, steaming and boiling food is known to be profita- 
ble ; but the health of the animal sometimes suffers, compared 
with that of cows kept partly on raw and partly on prepared 
food." 



244 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Cheap Fodder foe Cows. 

Straw contains much farinaceous aliment. The attention of 
agriculturists in France has recently been directed to the discov- 
ery of a method of converting straw into a kind of bran. The 
discovery has been claimed by two individuals. The first is a 
miller, near Dijon, who, it is said, on trying the mill-stone of a 
new mill, discovered the possibility of converting straw into a 
nourishing food ; the second, M. Joseph Maitre, of Villotte, near 
Chatillon. This distinguished agriculturist, known for the purity 
and perfection of his breeds of sheep, conceived the idea of con- 
verting into farina not only the straw of wheat and other grains, 
but of hay, trefoil, lucern, sanfoin, etc. His efforts have been 
perfectly successful, and his discovery arrived at, not by chance, 
but by long experiment and research. The aliment which he has 
produced is said to be a complete substitute for bran. It is given 
to sheep and lambs, who consume it with avidity, and may be 
given to all other graminivorous animals as a grateful and sub- 
stantial food. We know, in this country, that the mere chopping 
of straw adds greatly to its powers, by facilitating mastication 
and digestion. We may believe that a more perfect comminution 
of its parts will produce a corresponding effect, and extend very 
widely the uses of straw and other fodder as a means of feeding 
our domestic animals. This sort of aliment is very excellent, 
when combined with a sufficient amount of nutrimental matter, 
for animals whose systems lack the requisite amount of phos- 
phates and phosphoric acids. A milch cow, for example, whose 
lacteal vessels yield, in the form of milk, the above equivalents, 
may be benefited by an occasional feed of straw meal. 

Black Leg, or Anthrax. 

Various are the names given to an affection of the above kind. 
Some persons call it inflammatory fever, gangrene, etc. Then 
again it gets its name from the region in which it first appeared. 
So, if it first appears in the region of the thigh, it is called quarter 
ill, quarter evil, black quarter, joint murrain, etc.; hence it ap- 
pears to have as many names as there are locations for it. 

The Nature of Black Leg. — You att, and other orthodox vet- 
erinary writers contend that this affection is a pure inflammatory 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 245 

fever, yet, at the same time, they admit that cattle of all descrip- 
tions, ages, and conditions are subject to it. Now, I think it will 
be very difficult to prove that inflammatory fever can attain a 
very high grade in the system of an animal in poor condition. 
The very reverse is the case; for disease of a low typhoid type, 
and those which are known to run a rapid course, are apt to 
pounce upon animals having but little vital resistance — being out 
of condition, as the saying is. 

In my opinion, this is an epizootic affection, and, like most epi- 
zootics, its pathology must necessarily be obscure. In applying 
the terms black leg, black quarter, etc., to this affection (epizootic 
or enzootic) leads us into error in supposing that it is merely a 
local affection, limited to a certain part, when, in fact, it is a gen- 
eral affection, showing itself in various parts of the economy at 
the same time. For example, in the early stage, when a limb or 
part is swollen and distended with gas, the various organs and 
functions of the body are more or less disturbed. Even in the 
early stage the respirations are short and quick ; pulse, accelerated 
(i, mere fluttering action, scarcely perceptible) ; the coat stares ; 
rumination is suspended; the bowels are constipated, and the 
nervous system is affected; for the beast staggers, and soon be- 
comes comatose ; death frequently takes place in the course of from 
twelve to twenty-four hours. It will be perceived, therefore, that 
the local affection is not proportionate, in degree or extent, to the 
severity and magnitude of the general symptoms ; therefore it is 
a general disease. 

The autopsy clearly indicates the ravages which this epizootic 
or enzootic makes on the general economy. Youatt informs us 
that "the chief appearances after death will be venous congestion 
every-where. It affects both of the pleura, the whole substance 
of the lungs, brain, and peritoneum; the intestines and stomach 
are also affected. Therefore what we perceive externally, in the 
form of tumors, emphysema, ulcers, sloughing, and mortification 
are only the symptoms of a general malady. Mr. Ernes informs 
us, through the pages of the " Veterinarian," that " black quar- 
ter " (which is the same as ' black leg ') is neither more nor less 
than that dreadful malady of horses and cattle called by the French 
charbon. Anthrax would, perhaps, be the better appellation, see- 
ing its characters are a hard, circumscribed tumor, exceedingly 
painful, with tension and burning heat in the subcutaneous eel- 



246 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

lular tissue. This is often depressed in its center, and sometimes 
preceded by a small opening. 

According to authorities, " the tumor of black leg, though small 
at first, suddenly increases in size, sometimes to that of a child's 
head. Gangrene soon supervenes, beginning in the center and 
extending to the circumference, which rapidly converts the whole 
into an eschar of a black color, similar to a piece of charcoal ; 
hence its name — charbon. The eschar is sometimes several inches 
in diameter, and is almost always either preceded or accompanied 
by bladders, which form a sort of areola around it. There is also 
always an cedematous swelling, more or less considerable, owing 
to an emphysematous state, and an infiltration of serum or sero- 
gelatine into the cellular tissue, which crackles on pressure, caused 
by the presence of gases. The danger and rapidity of the disease 
are such that, when an animal is attacked, after a violent access 
of fever, it falls a sacrifice to it in a few hours, rarely exceeding 
twenty-four or thirty-six. All animals are subject to it, but the 
herbivorous more so than others. It is either epizootic or enzootic ; 
the first is the most destructive." 

I now consider the point settled regarding the nature of the 
disease; namely, it is an epizootic or enzootic affection, and, of 
course, is subject to the same laws which govern diseases of this 
type. This will explain the otherwise unaccountable variations 
which are observed in the symptoms of the affection when pre- 
vailing in different localities, and it also enables us to account for 
the great losses which Messrs. Shortfeed and Overfeed are con- 
tinually encountering. The fact is, all overfed -animals may be 
ranked as gluttons, and all half-starved animals furnish a savory 
morsel for the great epizootic pathological glutton, which, like the 
epidemic one that, hovering around the city of New Orleans, a 
few years ago, destroyed several thousands of its inhabitants ere 
it touched a single sober citizen. When this disease ranges in a 
single locality, it is supposed to have a spontaneous origin. Then 
the term enzootic is applied to it; and if it prevail among the 
cattle of an extensive region, then it is called epizootic. 

Causes. — The causes of this affection are as obscure as those of 
cholera, influenza, potato rot, etc. They seem to appear inde- 
pendent of local causes, occur at uncertain intervals, prevail for 
indefinite periods, and run their course in a short space of time. 
It is supposed by some persons that a disease of this character and 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 247 

nature is propagated by contagion or infection. How far it is 
engendered in these ways I am not prepared to decide. There 
must, however, have been a time when the disease did not exist, 
but must have arisen from a concurrence of natural causes ; and 
if these were adequate to its production at an anterior period, they 
must be so at the present time. I shall, therefore, abandon all 
further speculation in this direction as unprofitable, for there is 
evidently no -direct cause, but various are the predisposing, ex- 
citing, indirect, and morbid causes. The only way that I know 
of to prevent this malady is to keep the cattle in a physiological 
condition, by paying proper attention to breeding, feeding, rear- 
ing, and housing; for animals in a perfectly healthy state are 
certain to enjoy immunity from this and other diseases. 

I have noticed, at various times, articles in agricultural papers 
on the prevention of black leg, which, in the name of common 
humanity I am compelled to notice. The one I have thought 
proper to select reads as follows : 

"Preventive. — Take spring calves in the month of October ; cut 
a small incision in the hollow above the foot. On the top of the 
flesh a small blue vein appears ; take a crooked instrument, in the 
shape of an awl, and put the point under the vein, raise it up so 
that it can be cut, and take about an eighth of an inch out of the 
vein. Don't sew up the incision. It must be done on all the 
four feet. I have cut many hundreds, and have known of thou- 
sands being cut, and never knew of one dying with the above 
disease after being cut." 

Now, I am not disposed to scold or find fault, nor question the 
intentions of men who recommend or practice such outrageous 
barbarities under the guise of doctoring sick animals, but I wish 
to remind the intelligent reader that cattle have nerves to feel, 
and are as keenly sensible to pain as we are; therefore all un- 
necessary operations, even should they have received the seal of 
antiquity, ought to be avoided. This is the age of progression. 
The lamp of veterinary science is illuminating the mystified halo 
which has hitherto surrounded our barn-yard practice ; and before 
the barbarities of bygone days are practiced on our domestic ani- 
mals, let us be satisfied that we are using rational means for the 
recovery of the sick, such as science and common sense confirms. 
Just as rational would it be, if it were at all rational, to take an 
infant and divide one of the posterior veins of both feet, in view 



248 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

of preventing disease common to adult life, which, after all, might 
never occur, the little creature not being predisposed thereto. 

Let any one just study the anatomical structure of the foot of 
an ox, and he will learn that the vein which we are recommended 
to sever and amputate from is called the coronary, and is engaged 
in returning blood from the vast venous plexuses of the foot, 
which requires to come in contact with the lungs for purification 
and oxygenation. Any impediments, such as severing a vein, 
which interrupts the free circulation or return of blood to the 
heart and lungs, can not be beneficial, but otherwise. It will be 
seen that the vein is nothing more than an elastic hollow tube, a 
mere vehicle, through which the blood courses; therefore it can 
not be supposed to have any specific power over other parts of the 
organization in warding off disease. 

I shall not trouble the reader with any further remarks on the 
subject of irrational and barbarous prevention; for I presume 
that the introduction of the foregoing paragraph will answer all the 
purposes intended. Among physicians the disease is known as 
hcematosepsis ; and our experience is that it usually occurs among 
young stock, and generally in well-bred animals in high con- 
dition, or in native stock in low condition; yet it may occur in 
the system of any bovine, as the result of sudden change in the 
quality of the food. 

Treatment. — It is an unfortunate occurrence that this disease 
should ever have been classed as an inflammatory affection, for 
the error has led to a system of practice disastrous as the cattle 
plague. The following paragraph from Youatt will serve to 
show the orthodox method of treating inflammatory fever, and 
will also explain the reason why a great proportion of the ani- 
mals treated die : 

"The very name of the disease (inflammatory fever) indicates 
the mode of treatment. In a case of excessive vascular action, 
the first and most important step is copious depletion. As much 
blood must be taken as the animal will bear to lose; and the 
stream must flow on until the animal staggers or threatens to fall. 
Here, more than in any other disease, there must be no foolish 
directions about quantities. As much blood must be taken away 
as can be got; for it is only by the bold and persevering use of 
depletory measures that a malady can be subdued that runs its 
course so rapidly. Purging must immediately follow. The Ep- 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 249 

som salts are here, as in most inflammatory diseases, the best 
purgative. A pound and a half, dissolved in water or gruel, and 
poured down the throat as gently as possible, should be our first 
dose; and no aromatic should accompany it. If this does not 
operate in the course of six hours, another pound should be 
given ; and after that, half-pound doses, every six hours, until 
the effect is produced." 

It is a wonder to me how any creature can survive such bar- 
barous treatment as this; yet, even at the present day, just such 
doctrines are taught in the schools and practiced on cattle, to the 
disgrace of science and shame on those men who perpetrate the 
wickedness. Blood-letting and purging can have no good effect 
on a disease like this, so prostrating, and which runs its course to 
mortification so rapidly. Such a wretched system of practice has 
always failed, and ever will fail. 

That form of treatment which reason and experience suggests 
is the best. For example, it would naturally occur, to the mind 
free from the prejudice of veterinary orthodoxy, that a disease 
which runs into sloughing and mortification in a few short hours 
must require life-sustaining agents; hence I recommend a very 
different mode of treatment from that heretofore practiced. I 
commence the treatment thus : 

Spirits of hartshorn 4 dr. 

Tar-water 1 qt. 

Tincture of bloodroot 1 oz. 

Mix the hartshorn and tar- water first ; then add the bloodroot. 
Drench (dose No. 1). The object in giving the hartshorn is to 
decarbonize the blood, and impart healthy stimulus to the nutri- 
ent system of blood-vessels and nerves ; and this agent will do it. 

Should the animal show any lameness in the back or hind quar- 
ters, apply the following: 

Oil of cedar 2 oz. 

Sulphuric ether 2 oz. 

Tincture of capsicum 1 oz. 

Cod-liver oil 6 oz. 

First, mix the two oils; then add the ether, and shake them 
thoroughly ; lastly, add the tincture. The object in applying this 
preparation is to arouse capillary action, and thus prevent the en- 
gorgements, which, according to the best authorities, are every- 
where found. 



250 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Four hours after administering " dose No. 1 " drench the pa- 
tient with the following : 

Liquid tar 1 oz. 

Glycerine 4 oz. 

Thin gruel 1 qt. 

If the urgency of the case demands it, this dose may be re- 
peated, at intervals of four hours, until symptoms of improve- 
ment are observed. The tar is a powerful antiseptic, and prevents 
decomposition, emphysema, and mortification. 

All sores and ulcers must be dressed with pyroligneous acid 
and kept constantly sprinkled with powdered bloodroot. All 
abscesses must be punctured with a thumb-lancet, their contents 
evacuated by pressure, and syringing them with soap-suds; and 
their cavities must be crammed with fine flour. Should any sores 
or ulcers be observed about the muzzle, mouth, or throat, tincture 
of matico is the remedy, or liquid tar. One ounce of the same 
may be introduced into the mouth of the patient; it will surely 
do good. If the patient be weak and debilitated, tonics are indi- 
cated ; golden-seal, in two-drachm doses, may be incorporated in 
the food, in direct ratio to the urgency of the case. 



Black Tongue. 

This epizootic has raged very extensively, at different times, in 
North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Several per- 
sons have died from drinking milk from cows thus diseased. It 
appears that domestic cattle are not alone the sufferers, but that 
in Florida, particularly, the deer perish from the same disease iin 
large numbers; and, according to a letter in the Savannah "Re- 
publican," dogs, and the buzzards in Burke County, Georgia, that 
have eaten the flesh of cattle that have died of the black tongue, 
have perished from the effects of such poisonous diet. The cause 
of this malignant disease does not seem to have been yet ascer- 
tained, though by many it is attributed to the rust, which, in vari- 
rious parts of the Southern States, as elsewhere, has affected the 
grain crops, and, it is said, in some places, the grass also. The 
cattle are attacked by stiffness, and walk as though foundered, 
while froth is discharged in large quantities from the mouth; 
they can eat nothing, fall away rapidly, and the tongue and gums 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 251 

become dreadfully swollen, and turn black, and death speedily 
releases them from their agony. 

Treatment. — The rapid progress which usually attends this 
dreadful epizootic calls for prompt and energetic treatment. It 
is evidently a congestive disease, and very apt to run into the 
typhoid stage and end in sudden death. The moment an ani- 
mal is suspected to be the subject of this malady, he should be 
drenched with 

Table salt 12 oz. 

Warm water 1 qt. 

Tincture of capsicum 2 oz. 

This medicine will act as a powerful antiseptic and stimu- 
lating tonic, thus preserving the animal tissues against putres- 
cence; and at the same time it relieves the venous congestion. 
If, on applying the hand to any part of the body, a crackling 
sound is elicited, the animal is then said to be emphysematous, 
which signifies an accumulation of gas beneath the skin. The 
patient should then be immediately drenched with 

Pyroligneous acid 2 oz. 

Pure oil of sassafras 28 drops. 

Linseed tea 1 qt. 

Mix the oil with the latter, then add the acid. After having 
drenched the animal, apply a portion of the following to the tume- 
factions, or emphysematous region : 

Soft soap 4 oz. 

Oil of sassafras ^ oz. 

Dissolve the sassafras in two ounces of alcohol. 

Tincture of capsicum 2 oz. 

Tincture of Peruvian bark 1 pt. 

Mix, and rub the external surface with a portion of the same. 

The swollen tongue should be frequently covered with fine salt ; 
and the moment there appears any improvement, tonic medicines 
should be given. One ounce of the fluid extract of camomile 
flowers may be given, twice daily. This remedy will give tone 
to the system and restore the appetite. 

Fractured Bones. 

Fracture of bones, occurring among neat stock, is generally 
considered as a justifiable cause for their destruction; but I object 



252 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

to this summary mode of disposing of unfortunate yet valuable 
animals; for the truth is many are killed that might be saved. 
The trouble of managing, and the expense of treating cases of 
fracture, often deter husbandmen from performing a duty incum- 
bent on them in view of protecting their property ; but the trouble 
and expense are mere trifles when the usefulness of a valuable ani- 
mal is involved. 

The remedy in case of a simple fracture of bones, under the im- 
proved system of practice, is neither tedious nor expensive. The 
bones unite very readily, if kept in contact, and the unity is 
secured by means of starched bandages. Where there is any 
laceration of the soft parts, and the bone is broken into several 
pieces, the better way is to put an end to the sufferings of the 
creature, for recovery is impossible. The following case will give 
some idea of the method of treating simple fractures. An animal 
under treatment for fracture, may be placed in the trevis, if neces- 
sary ; but I prefer to let the patient have its liberty in a box stall. 
The limb opposite to the fractured one will have to sustain more 
weight than usual ; therefore I try to prevent swelling and stiff- 
ness by occasional hand-rubbing, or by bathing it once or twice 
daily, with a portion of the following : 

Oil of wormwood 1 oz. 

Alcohol . 2 oz. 

New rum 2 qt. 

Mix. 

' The following case of fracture of the radius I extract from my 
note-book : 

This was a case of simple fracture of the radius (bone above 
the knee) of a calf about six months old, the property of a gentle- 
man residing in Brookline. The accident was occasioned in con- 
sequence of the animal getting his leg entangled in a fold of chain, 
the latter being used for the purpose of confining him, in the day 
time, to a grazing spot. The fracture was crosswise of the long 
diameter of the bone in the central region; namely, midway be- 
tween its superior and inferior extremities. No laceration of the 
soft tissues, nor comminution of bone. The diagnostic symptom 
was crepitis (crackling noise). 

Treatment — The bones were brought in apposition, and secured 
by means of slips of pasteboard and starched bandages; and, in 
order to keep them from slipping downward, they were sewed tc 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 253 

a broad belt, which passed over the inferior cervial region, in the 
form of a figure 8, The animal did not appear to like this con- 
trivance, or else he liked to lick the starch, for he soon commenced 
to nibble the wick-yarn with which it was marled on, and so 
loosened the bandage that, in the course of a few hours, it slipped 
below the carpus. So soon as this occurred I was again sum- 
moned to visit the patient. I now procured some thick tar, and 
with it smeared the limb to the extent which was to be covered 
by bandage. The bandage was composed of common sheeting, 
three inches wide, three yards long, and this was also well tarred, 
and, after being neatly applied, was secured by means of the many- 
tailed, tarred bandage. This had the desired effect ; for, however 
well the animal might have liked the taste of starch, he apparently 
had no relish for tar. The bandage remained undisturbed. 

The accident happened on the 18th day of August, 1857; on 
the 4th day of October the osseous union was complete. The 
bandage had been removed some time prior to the latter date, yet 
the condensed tar was allowed to remain on the skin for some time. 
In a few months his limb was just as symmetrical as the other, 
and no one but a skillful surgeon would ever discover that the 
bone had been fractured. 

Light in Baens. 

Barns should be so constructed, by the insertion of windows in 
various parts of the building, that they shall be as " light as day." 
A " dark " barn is only a suitable black-hole for some vicious an- 
imal; it is the very worst location for any thing that breathes. 
Sir A. Nylie (who was long at the head of the medical staff in 
the Russian army) states that the cases of disease on the dark side 
of an extensive barrack, at St. Petersburg, have been uniformly, 
for many years, in the proportion of three to one to those on the 
side exposed to a strong and uniform light. Humboldt has also 
remarked that among bipeds the residents of South America, who 
wear very little clothing, thus allowing the cutaneous, as well as 
the orbital surfaces to receive a free ray of light, enjoyed immunity 
from various diseases which prevailed extensively among the in- 
habitants of dark rooms and underground locations; and so ex- 
cellent an authority as Linjsleus contends that the constant ex- 
posure to solar light is one of the causes which render a summer 



254 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

journey through high northern latitudes so peculiarly healthful 
and invigorating. Dr. Edwards has also remarked that persons 
who live in caves or cellars, or in very dark or narrow streets, arc 
apt to produce deformed children ; and that men who work in 
mines are liable to disease and deformity. Light, therefore, is a 
condition of vital activity; and, in view only of preserving the 
sight of animals, it is absolutely necessary that, while they are in 
the barn, their optics shall have free access to the sun's rays. 

If a cow were in the same condition as a polype, with no organs 
of vision, who shuns light, a dark barn might prove to be its earthly 
paradise; but as the cow has special organs of vision, evidently 
susceptible to the influence of light, and the integrity of its organ- 
ism, or a part of the same, depending entirely on the admission 
of light, it is absolutely necessary that barns should be constructed 
accordingly. 

Diarrhea in Calves. 

Diarrhea is a very prevalent disease among calves. The suck- 
ing calf is liable to be the subject of this affection whenever the 
general health of the parent is impaired. In such cases the mother 
is- to be treated instead of the calf. She, probably, is the subject 
of a deranged condition of the digestive organs, which can easily 
be remedied by the administration of a few doses of the following ; 

Pulverized charcoal ~| 

Carbonate of soda V equal parts. 

Pulverized ginger ) 

Dose, two ounces daily, to be incorporated with the food ; or it 
can be given as a drench, by adding a pint of scalded milk. 

The disease occasionally occurs in consequence of weaning the 
calf (in view of husbanding the cow's milk), and feeding the juve- 
nile on improper food. This kind of diarrhea must be treated as 
follows : 

Phosphate of lime 1 oz. 

Carbonate of soda 2 dr. 

Scalded milk 1 pt. 

Mix the same, and administer by means of a drenching-horn 
or bottle. It may be divided into "broken" doses, or may be 
given at once, as a single dose. 

If the above remedies fail in arresting the diarrhea, I should 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 25o 

give three drachms of tincture of niatico, every four hours, until 
the patient showed some signs of improvement. 

Sprains or Strains. 

Sprains or strains are generally occasioned by unnatural dis- 
tension of parts, or rupture of cellular structure, which connects 
muscles or tendons. They are generally accompanied by heat, 
tenderness, and lameness. "Working oxen are more liable to 
sprain than cows, because, when used in the yoke for draught, 
they are as liable to strain or rupture parts as horses, by sudden 
exertions, or violent efforts of the muscles to guard against a sud- 
den slip and fall. The slightest strain will sometimes occasion 
lameness, because the parts concerned are composed of minute 
fibers and cells, delicately organized ; and a portion or the whole 
of such minute tissues are easily injured. In bad cases of strain, 
considerable tumefaction or swelling is observed. This is occa- 
sioned by the presence of serum, or water, in the cellular tissues 
beneath the skin. If proper means are adopted, this fluid can be 
taken up by the absorbent vessels, so as to leave no enlargement; 
but if the case be badly treated, the enlargement becomes organ- 
ized into a permanent, hard mass, which is known to medical men 
as induration. 

Treatment. — The very best and cheapest remedies in the early 
stages of strain are rest and cold water. This very soon lessens 
the vascular excitement ; and, if there is no laceration, the animal 
will soon get well. It will be necessary to shower the sprained 
spot two or three times per day, until the acute symptoms have 
subsided. Then a common bandage may be applied. This should 
be wet with vinegar occasionally. Should the strained part be very 
painful, I would foment with infusion of hops — a handful of hops 
tc & quart of boiling water, to be applied when cool. If this does 
not relieve the pain, let the part be occasionally sponged with a 
small quantity of sulphuric ether or chloroform. 

Bronchocele. 

Bronchocele is a disease known in common parlance as swelling 
in the throats of cattle. When it occurs among members of the 
human family it is denominated goitre; yet it is my opinion that 



25G DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

broncliocele occurring among cattle, and goitre in man, are very 
different affections. For example : Broncliocele occurring in cattle 
is curable, and, so far as I have been able to ascertain, is confined 
to the thyroid glands, although in a protracted state of the' mal- 
ady, the surrounding tissues may become so involved as to render 
the case incurable. Goitre, as I understand it, is a diffuse tumor 
occupying the anterior part of the neck, occurring principally 
among the inhabitants of the Alps, and is considered incurable. 
Medicine and external applications seem to have little if any effect 
on it, and its removal by operation is generally fatal. The follow- 
ing cases are offered in support of my argument as to curability : 

A couple of cows, the property of Mr. Humphrey, of Brook- 
line, Mass., were observed to be the subjects of an enlargement in 
the thyroid region, which gradually increased up to the size of a 
man's fist. At this period T was requested to see them. The an- 
imals were natives ; their ages, seven and eight; in fair condition, 
and yielding the usual quantity of milk. The only fault the owner 
had to complain of was that their appetites were not so good as 
usual, and he merely consulted me for the purpose of ascertaining 
what could be done for the thyroid tumors. On making careful 
examination of both animals, there was very little of abnormal 
action to be perceived, either internally or externally. The pulse 
was regular ; respirations, normal ; the surface of the body, com- 
fortably warm ; coat, glossy ; nothing unusual about the feces nor 
urine ; and all I could say about the cases was, that they were 
mild forms of hypertrophy of the thyroid glands (enlargement 
without change of structure). The tumor in one animal occupied 
the right side of the thyroid region ; in the other it was found in 
the left; both immovable, yet having no morbid adhesions to 
skin nor subtissue. 

Treatment. — The owner being unwilling to incur the expense of 
professional attention, and desiring to treat them himself, under 
advice, I accordingly prescribed as follows : Each animal to have 
daily ten grains of iodide of potassium in half a gill of water. 
The tumor to be anointed daily with a portion of the following: 

Simple ointment 2 oz. 

Iodide of potassium 2 dr. • 

Mix. 

During a period of seven days each animal got seventy grains 
of iodide of potassium, and by inunction received one drachm each. 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 257 

According to the testimony of Mr. Humphrey, the remedy was 
effective ; for at the end of two weeks the tumors had disappeared, 
and the animals were on the high road to health. 



Spaying Cows. 

Before I commence to point out the method of spaying, it may 
be proper to allude briefly to the female organs of generation. 

Uterus, or Womb. — This is a hollow, musculo-membranous or- 
gan, united to the front part of the vagina, and terminating beneath 
the anus, in what is known as the lips of the pudendum. The 
womb is destined for the reception of the foetus. It is situated 
within the cavity of the pelvis, between the region of the bladder 
and that of the rectum, and is an organ capable of extraordinary 
distension. 

The womb is divided into body, horns, neck, and mouth. The 
body is the oblong, cylindrical part, growing out of the front part 
of the vagina, in the center of which it terminates, internally, by 
the mouth of the womb, termed by physicians the os uteri. The 
front part of the body of the womb, by branching into two divis- 
ions, forms the horns. They diverge laterally (sideways) toward 
the front part of the pelvis, and, finally, terminate in oval extrem- 
ities, (fallopian tubes,) and, lastly, the testes, or ovaries. The part 
termed the neck protrudes backward into the vagina, and is only 
perceptible when the parts are unimpregnated. 

The uterus and ovaries are partly covered, and confined to the 
sides of the pelvis by a portion of the peritoneum, called broad or 
lateral ligiments, which also inclose within its folds the fallopian 
tubes. 

The ovaries are two soft bodies, about the size of a walnut, and; 
resembling somewhat in form the testicles of the male. They are 
filled with little vesicles, or bladders, which can be seen through. 
the surface texture, containing a small quantity of a whitish yel- 
low fluid. These yellow bodies, or spots, termed corpora lutea, ; 
are supposed to contain the ova. The cicatrices, or marks left in 
the region where the vesicles have burst, denote the number of 
times the animal has been impregnated. The contents of the 
ovarian vesicles, from one or both testicles, are discharged into the 
uterus through the fallopian tubes, and the same is vitalized by 
the male semen in the act of copulation ; so it will be perceived; 
17 



258 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

that the uterus has two inlets, coming from the ovaries, and one 
outlet, which is the lips of the vagina. 

The arteries which supply the uterine organs with blood are 
named vaginal, uterine, and spermatic. The vaginal is derived 
from the internal iliac; the uterine, from the external iliac; and 
the spermatic comes directly from the great aorta. 

This brief description of the form, function, and location of the 
uterine organs may possibly prove of some value to the husband- 
men of this country, who are not expected to be posted on the 
subject, and can not spare the time to familiarize themselves with 
the technicalities of the schools, yet have intelligence enough to 
comprehend plain matters of fact. 

On the Selection of Animals for Spaying. — If the animal be in- 
tended for milking purposes, a good milker must be selected, for 
the operation will not transform a poor milker into a good one. 
She must necessarily be in possession of those constitutional pecu- 
liarities which have been observed to prevail in animals renowned 
as first-class milkers. The operation will, without doubt, improve 
the quality of the milk, yet may not, under all circumstances, in- 
crease the quantity, although the French dairymen contend that 
" the cow will be found to give as much milk after eighteen months 
as immediately after the operation ; and there was found, in quan- 
tity, in favor of the spayed cows, a great difference." About three 
years ago I spayed a cow, the property of a gentleman residing in 
Southboro'. She continued during this period to yield her usual 
quantity of milk, yet gradually accumulated fat, so that she was 
known in the neighborhood as the " fat cow." When in this con- 
dition, the daily yield of milk gradually decreased, and the owner 
at last sold her to the butcher. I learned from parties who bought 
the meat that it was of superior quality even to that of an ox or 
steer, and commanded a higher price. Among other animals that 
I have spayed several have run to fat, as the saying is, and at the 
end of from eighteen months to three years, fell into the hands of 
the butcher as first-rate beef. I am, therefore, inclined to think 
that if animals are predisposed to fatten easily, they will not remain 
uniform milkers beyond the above period ; yet, from a report made 
by the Rheims Academy, I learn that this liability to fatten was 
not observed in the environs of Paris, where, in some milking 
establishments, one hundred and fifty cows are kept, all spayed 
except fifteen or twenty. It may happen, however, that in conse- 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 259 

quence of their not being permitted to go to pasture, and their 
artificial food not of the best quality, and perhaps scanty, they do 
not have enough adipose matter to spare and store away in the 
fat-cells, as is the case with stall-fed animals in private establish- 
ments, where only one or two are kept. 

In view, therefore, of securing a permanent milker, I should 
select a cow of compact muscular organization (native breed), hav- 
ing little, if any, predisposition to accumulate fat. She must be a 
good milker, and the mother of at least three calves. The best 
period for spaying is in the spring, when the unimpregnated ani- 
mal is in her full flow of milk. If the object of spaying be to 
furnish the market with fat, tender, juicy meat, then I should se- 
lect animals, barren or otherwise, that keep in good condition on 
a small quantity of food. The operation ma}^ be performed at any 
period, from the age of three months to nine or more years. 

Mode of Operation. — The principal authority on the modus 
operandi of spaying is M. Morin, a celebrated French veterinary 
surgeon. I am not in the habit of performing the operation ac- 
cording to his directions, yet the reader may desire to know how 
it has been performed in a country where the results have been so 
remarkably successful ; therefore I introduce the following quota- 
tions : 

" Having covered the head of the cow to be operated on, we 
place her against a wall provided with five rings, firmly fastened 
and placed as follows: The first corresponds to the top of the 
withers ; the second to the lower anterior part of the breast ; the 
third is placed a little distance from the angle of the shoulder; the 
fourth is opposite to the anterior and superior part of the lower 
region, and the fifth, which is behind, answers to the under part 
of the buttocks. We place a strong assistant between the wall and 
the head of the animal, who firmly holds the horn in the left hand, 
and with his right the muzzle, which he elevates a little. This 
done, we pass through and fasten the end of a long, strong, platted 
cord in the ring to the lower part of the breast ; we bring the free 
end of the cord along the left flank, and pass it through the ring 
which is below and in front of the withers ; we bring it down 
along the breast, behind the shoulders and the angle of the fore- 
leg, to pass it through the third ring; from there we pass it 
through the ring which is at the top of the back ; then it must be 
passed around against the outer angle of the left hip, and we fasten 



260 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

it, after having drawn it tightly to the posterior ring, by a simple 
bow-knot. The cow being firmly fixed to the wall, we place a 
cord, fastened by a slip-noose, around the hocks, to keep them to- 
gether in such a manner that the animal can not kick the operator. 
The free end of the cord and the tail are held by an assistant. 
The cow, thus secured, can not, during the operation, move for- 
ward nor lie down ; and the veterinary surgeon has all the ease 
desirable, and is protected from accident. 

M. Leorant advises that an assistant should hold a plank or bar 
of wood obliquely under the teats and before its limbs, to ward 
off the kicks ; but this method is not always without danger, both 
to the operator and the animal, because, at the commencement — ■ 
that is, when the surgeon makes the incision through the hide and 
the muscles — the cow makes such sudden movements, and tries 
so frequently to strike with its left hind foot, that it may happen 
that, upon every movement, the plank or the bar may be struck 
against the operator's legs. On the other hand, although the de- 
fense may be firmly held by the assistant, yet it may happen that, 
in spite of his exertions, he sometimes may be thrown against the 
operator, by the movements she may attempt, and there may be 
an uncontrollable displacement of the plank or bar; and then it 
may happen that she becomes wounded, and, at the same time, 
prevents the operation ; while, by the mode we point out, there is 
no fear of accident, either to the operator or the beast. In case 
of the want of well-provided rings, we may use a strong palisade, 
a solid fence, or two trees, at suitable distances apart. Across we 
fix two strong boards of wood, separated from each other, accord- 
ing to the size of the cow. 

There is another means of confining them that we have em- 
ployed for some time past, where the cows were very strong and 
irritable, more simple than the preceding, less fatiguing to the 
animal, less troublesome to the operator, and which answers per- 
fectly. It consists in leaving the cow almost free, covering her 
eyes, holding her head by two strong assistants, one of whom 
seizes the nose with his hand, and strongly pinches the nostrils 
whenever the animal makes any strong movement during the 
operation ; in causing another assistant to hold the two hind legs, 
kept together by means of a cord passed above and beneath the 
hocks. This assistant also holds the tail, and pulls' it whenever 
he animal seeks to change its place. 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 261 

The cow being conveniently disposed of, and the instruments 
and appliances, (such as curved scissors, upon a table, a convex- 
edged bistoury, a straight one, and one buttoned at the point, 
suture-needle filled with double thread of desired length, pledgets 
of lint of appropriate size and length, a mass of tow in pledgets, 
being collected in a shallow basket held by an assistant,) we place 
ourselves opposite to the left flank, our back turned a little toward 
the head of the animal ; we cut off the hair which covers the hide 
in the middle of the flanks, at an equal distance between the back 
and hip, for the space of thirteen or fourteen centimeters in cir- 
cumference. This done, we take the convex bistoury, and place 
it open between our teeth, the edge out, the point to the left ; then, 
with both hands, we seize the hide in the middle of the flank, 
and form of it a wrinkle of the requisite elevation, and running 
lengthwise of the body. 

We then direct an assistant to seize, with his right hand, the 
right side of this wrinkle. We then take the bistoury, and cut 
the wrinkle at one stroke through the middle. The wrinkle hav- 
ing been suffered to go down, a separation of the hide is presented, 
of sufficient length to enable us to introduce the hand. Thereupon 
we separate the edges of the hide with the thumb and fore-finger 
of the left hand, and, in like manner, we cut through the abdom- 
inal muscles, the iliac (rather obliquely) and the lumbar (cross),- 
for a distance of a centimeter from the lower extremity of the 
incision made in the hide. This done, armed with the straight 
bistoury, we make a puncture of the peritoneum, at the upper 
extremity of the wound ; we then introduce the buttoned bistoury, 
and move it obliquely from above to the lower part, up to the 
termination of the incision made in the abdominal muscles. The 
flank being opened, we introduce the right hand into the abdo- 
men, and direct it along the right side of the cavity of the pelvis, 
behind the paunch and underneath the rectum, where we find the 
horns of the uterus. After we have ascertained the position of 
these viscera, we search for the ovaries, which are at the extrem- 
ity of the cornua, or horns (fallopian tubes) ; and when we have 
found them, we seize them between the thumb and fore-finger, 
detach them completely from the ligaments that keep them in 
their place, pull lightly, separating the cord and the vessels (ute- 
rine or fallopian tubes) at their place of union with the ovarium, 
by means of the nails of the thumb and fore-finger, which presents 



262 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

itself at the point of touch ; in fact, we break the cord, and bring 
away the ovarium. 

We then introduce the hand again in the abdominal cavity, and 
proceed in the same manner to extract the other ovarium. This 
operation terminated, by the assistance of a needle we place a suture 
of three or four double threads, waxed, at an equal distance, and at 
two centimeters or a little less from the lips of the wound. Passing 
it through the divided tissues, we move from the left hand with 
the piece of thread ; having reached that point, we fasten with a 
double knot. We place the seam in the intervals of the thread 
from the right, and, as we approach the lips of the wound, we 
fasten by a simple knot, being careful not to close too tightly the 
lower part of the seam, so that the suppuration, which may be 
established in the wound, may be able to escape. The operation 
effected, we cover up the wound with a pledget of lint, kept in its 
place by three or four threads passed through the stitches, and all 
is completed. It happens sometimes that, in cutting the muscles 
of which we have before spoken, we cut one or two of the arte- 
ries, which bleed so much that there is no necessity for a ligature 
before opening the peritoneal sac, because if this precaution be 
omitted, blood will escape into the abdomen, and may occasion 
the most serious consequences." 

Improved Method of Spaying. — I cast the cow, by means of the 
hobbles (see cut of instruments), on her right side. I then apply 
to the nostrils a sponge, saturated with concentrated sulphuric 
ether. When the animal is completely unconscious, I slacken the 
casting-rope, so as to free the limbs and prevent any pressure on the 
walls of the abdomen. By so doing, I secure room enough to intro- 
duce a hand and arm, for the purpose of searching for the ovaries. 

The first stage of the operation consists in pinching up a fold 
of the skin on the left side, midway between the prominent bone 
of the haunch or pelvis, and the last or posterior rib, about four 
inches below the transverse processes of the lumbar (back) ver- 
tebrse. Having divided the integuments to the extent of about 
five or six inches, I make a similar incision through the abdom- 
inal muscles, until the peritoneum (lining membrane of the ab- 
dominal cavity) is exposed. This membrane is then punctured 
by means of a beak -pointed bistoury, into which puncture I insin- 
uate a knife having a probe point, and then divide the peritoneum 
to the extent of the external incision. 



VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 263 

The second stage of the operation commences with the intro- 
duction of the operator's right arm, he kneeling down in close 
contact with the cow's back. The hand is then passed within the 
brim or cavity of the pelvis. Having found the deep-seated or 
right ovary, it must be removed by laceration. I find that the 
best and most expeditious way is to slip the other hand into the 
abdominal cavity; then, with the right hand, I seize the broad 
ligament at the base of the ovary ; my left then clasps the ovary, 
and in this way, by using trifling force, the ovary is detached or 
torn away. The left ovary is then to be sought for, and an as- 
sistant depresses the edges of the incision. At the same time the 
operator, having a firm hold on the ovary, brings it into view, 
so that it can be removed by means of a pair of blunt-pointed 
scissors. 

The third stage of the operation is the process of uniting the 
abdominal muscles, by means of stitches or sutures. A curved 
needle, armed with four or five threads of shoemaker's twine, well 
beesAvaxed, is to be passed through the abdominal muscles, with- 
out penetrating the peritoneum, (lining membrane of the abdom- 
inal cavity,) at interrupted distances of one inch, more or less. 
Each suture is to be securely tied ; one end of the same is to be 
cut close to the knot, the other is left long enough to protrude 
through the integumental incision. The skin, or integument, .is 
then to be closed by means of ligature or metallic wire, leaving a 
email orifice at the inferior or lower region of the external incision, 
for the escape of morbid matter. This completes the operation. 
In the course of a week or ten days the deep-seated ligatures may 
be pulled away, and when the integument is well united, the ex- 
ternal stitches may also be removed. The wound is healed by 
Nature, and scarcely, if ever, requires any sort of dressing. 



SECTION XVI. 

• REMARKS ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE* 

|ISEASES of all kinds are attributable to predisposing and 
exciting causes. The majority of maladies require a com- 
bination of agencies to induce them ; but there are some which 
can only be developed by one unchangeable and specific means, 
which we designate contagion. A sheep can only become scabby 
by the scab-insect creeping on its body, and there multiplying. 
A dog only becomes rabid by the virus of another rabid animal 
entering its system; and scientific men are agreed that an animal 
can only be seized with rinderpest as the result of direct or indi- 
rect communication of the rinderpest virus from a diseased to a 
healthy animal. These are accepted truths which somewhat shock 
the minds of people unacquainted with the mysterious operations 
of Nature. The question occurs to most persons whether, under 
extraordinary circumstances, these contagious maladies are not 
generated de novo. All we can say is, that as yet no one has dem- 
onstrated that in the steppes (Russian plains) cattle can be placed 
under such circumstances, apart from being subjected to the in- 
fluence of contagion, as can induce the disorder. The disease is 
always there, roving to and fro, winter and summer, among ca.ttle 
of all kinds, sometimes killing many, and at other times attack- 
ing few. My belief is, after searching in vain for evidence of the 
spontaneous development of the rinderpest in Asiatic or European 
Russia, that the malady (just like human small-pox) is never de- 
veloped, per se, out of nothing, but is propagated in obedience 
to immutable laws, such as those which operate in perpetuating 
small-pox in man. There are periods of recrudescence which are, 



* Condensed from Mr. John Gamgee's late great work on the Cattle Plague. 
(264) 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 265 

to a great extent, accounted for by periodic and extraordinary 
movements of stock, as in times of war, or by an activated cattle 
trade; but neither cold nor heat, rain nor drought, storms nor 
severe frosts, affect the propagation of the malady, except in so far 
as they affect the movements of people and the traffic in cattle. 

The predisposition said to exist in the cattle of the steppes (the 
special idiosyncrasy which has been spoken of) is observed, during 
outbreaks in Western Europe, to manifest itself in rendering the 
disorder less severe, far less malignant, in the cattle of Russia 
than in any other known breeds. Jessen tells us that foreign 
stock in Russia, acclimatized and bred there, succumbs from at- 
tacks of the disease as rapidly as in its native country. Thus 
Devon cattle imported into Russia, bred there, for years continue 
to indicate a terrible susceptibility, and are rapidly exterminated 
when the disease is communicated to them by accidental contact 
or artificial inoculation. It is difficult to understand that these 
animals, manifesting an extraordinary susceptibility, should not, 
as it is proved they do not, suffer from spontaneous manifesta- 
tions of the disease, which have been regarded as likely among the 
less susceptible herds of the steppes. I do not believe that the 
flesh and blood of the Russian cattle are impregnated with this 
malady, nor that they inherit it as human beings do scrofula ; and 
I am strongly disposed to regard the specific poison of the cattle 
plague as obeying the same laws of reproduction as those which 
we know regulate the development of the virus of variola. 

We are asked again, How did the first case occur? We must 
give an Irishman's answer, and ask, How did the first case of 
human small-pox or hydrophobia occur? We can prove abso- 
lutely nothing as to their primary origin, and all we can say is, 
the most careful observations show that the transmission and pro- 
creation of certain animal poisons, including that of the cattle 
plague, obey laM's similar to those which govern the transmission 
and procreation of living organisms. Some day we may know 
more of the vitality of animal poisons. We now know that their 
destructive operations are not more extraordinary, and the reasons 
for their existence not more unfathomable, than those of many 
parasitic plants and animals which seem to live and to multiply 
by undeviating processes of generation, only to shorten the exist- 
ence of the higher orders of the animal or vegetable kingdoms. 

It is strange, but true, that the poison of the steppe murrain 



266 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

may be compared to any living organism which only requires a 
favorable habitat for its indefinite increase. Just as the scab- 
insect lives and breeds almost exclusively on the skin of a sheep, 
sc does the cattle-plague virus grow in quantity only when it 
meets with conditions favorable to its fructification in the systems 
of bovine animals. This statement is not affected by the occa- 
sional appearance of the disease among goats, sheep, and other 
animals; for we well know, after the experience of centuries, that 
whatever animals may be in a country, whenever the horned 
stock has succumbed the disease vanishes. It does, indeed, inflict 
some damage on the flocks of sheep; but its slow and imperfect 
propagation among them indicates that it needs a more favorable 
nidus for its perfect and complete development. 

If all known facts seem to favor the view that the Russian mur- 
rain owes its origin to contagion alone (even in Russia), no one 
having a knowledge of the subject believes that any other cause 
can induce it beyond the confines of that country. Numberless 
outbreaks, traced without doubt to contagion, and the certainty 
with which the early slaughter of diseased animals extinguishes 
any manifestation of the malady, even in countries where it ap- 
pears often, have tended to discard from our minds the possibility 
of any spontaneous development of the plague over the European 
continent, in the new world, which it has never visited, or in the 
islands of the globe. It is singular, and it is very instructive, 
that the disease should alone be kept up in a country such as 
Russia. The conditions there are all in favor of the perpetuation 
of contagious maladies ; and it is important to mention that even 
.small-pox in sheep is preserved in Europe by its constant presence 
and frequent recrudescence in Russia. 

The view of the purely contagious nature of rinderpest is ma- 
terially strengthened by the definite knowledge of the origin of 
all diseases, which, undoubtedly, originate spontaneously in vari- 
ous parts of the world. The Siberian boil plague, which has been 
confounded with the steppe murrain, is one of those enzootic dis- 
orders due to excessive heat in the broad plains of Siberia, and 
especially in certain spots where an elevated temperature oper- 
ating on retentive and ill-drained soils, produces a malady s hich 
certainly acquires contagious properties, but which ceases with 
the advent of cold and the washing of miasmata into the earth. 
The Siberian boil plague springs suddenly into existence, is pror»- 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 267 

agated a certain distance, but can not spread far, after the manner 
of purely contagious disorders, which are not influenced by sea- 
sons or weather. I could mention many similar instances, were 
it necessary, and there is none better than that virulent blood 
disease which has gone on increasing of late in this country, in 
districts where farmers grow the largest crops by liberally dis- 
tributing manure on fertile soils. That disease is splenic apo- 
plexy, which has been studied on the Northumberland hills, in the 
fens of Lincolnshire, and the Somersetshire pastures. Professor 
Voelcker traced, in his laboratory, one of the potent causes in- 
ducing this malady in the west of England, and proved how wrong 
it was to give animals water charged with the products of organic 
waste, such as nitrates and other salts. The Russian cattle plague 
never did and never can appear here but as an imported pesti- 
lence. All who have seen this disease must, at all events, admit 
its highly infectious and contagious character. The air surround- 
ing a diseased animal is impregnated with volatile poison, and 
every part of the animal's system is charged with the same prin- 
ciple, but in a tangible form capable of being carried on the point 
of an inoculating needle, and of being plunged with effect into the 
tissues of a healthy ox. Admitting, therefore, that contagion is 
the great and all-potent exciting cause, it may be well to enter 
into details on two points. We must first discuss whether certain 
conditions directly affecting an animal render its system more 
than ordinarily susceptible to the disease; and, secondly, what 
external conditions favor the propagation of the virus. 

Causes. — Individual susceptibility or idiosyncrasy affects the 
communication of the disorder to some, though to a very limited 
extent. We no doubt have the striking illustration of the Rus- 
sian ox, which is often attacked in a mild manner; and so we find 
in this country that a herd is killed out in five days, and another, 
of a very similar kind, is not killed out in a month, and several 
animals do not suffer at all. This fact is partially explained by 
the poison sometimes growing weaker as it passes from herd to 
herd. We witness this with all poisons ; and hence the great im- 
portance of guarding against fresh importations of virus, even 
during the prevalence of the steppe murrain in a country. The 
broader the area over which the poison can meet with favorable 
conditions for its development, the greater the tendency to severe 
recrudescence during an outbreak. 



268 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

There are some unaccountable instances of constitutional im- 
munity, and animals in this country have appeared to withstand 
the disease with effect, or it has attacked them so mildly as scarcely 
to be observed. This, it is true, is extremely rare, but has been 
observed sufficiently often to indicate that, whatever may be the 
cause, one animal is very susceptible, and another less so, to at tacks. 
We can not ascertain the special predisposition until the effects of 
contagion on an animal have been witnessed. 

Age exerts no influence on the disease. Kersttng has, how- 
ever, said that, as the result of inoculation, young calves and cows 
suffer most severely. Lean or fat oxen are also badly affected ; 
but animals in moderate condition, and at maturity, seem to bear 
up best against the disease. As to the influence of sex, it would 
appear that, as with other contagious maladies, cows yielding milk 
are very susceptible. Pregnant animals readily catch the disease, 
but probably not so readily during gestation as at the period of 
calving. 

The conditions under which animals are kept do not seem to 
have much influence on the character and rapid spread of the dis- 
order. We believe that, as a rule, the disease will be most speed- 
ily propagated where animals are congregated in a shed under one 
roof. Indeed, numerous instances have occurred of animals, by 
being separated, escaping the disease; and, although it is virulent 
enough in the open air, the cases do not follow each other quite so 
rapidly as where the cattle are housed. A proof of the aggrava- 
tion of the disease among housed stock is its general manifestation 
where sheep are constantly penned with cattle, and the common 
escape of these animals when they only mix with oxen or cows in 
the open air. Dr. Maeesch, who first described the cattle plague 
in sheep with accuracy, showed that the malady was only rife in 
flocks housed with bovine animals. The question then arises, 
Does the housing affect the constitution of animals, or does it 
simply concentrate the poison ? It is not improbable that it acts 
in both ways. Every one agrees that the depressing effects of bad 
ventilation, of breathing an impure atmosphere, tend to aggravate . 
and accelerate the malady, though there are not wanting cases to 
prove the exact contrary. The same is observed in other con- 
tagious diseases ; and I have known two herds of heifers, belong- 
ing to the same owner, one housed and the other in the fields, 
seized with pleuro-pneumonia about the saue time. The housed 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 269 

herd, by no means kept cleanly, suffered little, while few survived 
in the open fields. I am a great believer in fresh air, wholesome 
food, and pure water ; but there is absolutely nothing to prove that 
animals die more readily from the cattle plague where the venti- 
lation is imperfect, and the food and water far from being of the 
best quality. 

It is understood that the poison of the cattle plague comes from 
abroad, and there are those who think that it may be the result of 
confining cattle for days and nights together in crowded ships, 
surrounded with dirt, ill-fed, and supplied with an insufficient 
quantity of water. Vivid descriptions have been written of the 
heat, fetor, and steaming sweat which rises from the holds of ships 
engaged in the cattle traffic. We are asked if it be possible that 
animals should be thus ill-used without suffering from any or all 
diseases; and the foot and mouth disease, pleuro-pneumonia, and 
the cattle plague, which differ in intensity, but not in character, 
have each been ascribed to these general causes. It is certain that 
maltreatment is not invigorating. It may lead to suffocation or 
severe constitutional disturbance ; but, in spite of all the mis- 
management in bringing cattle across the sea, no case of specific 
disease has, to my knowledge, ever thereby been induced. How- 
ever much the animals may suffer, they can only die of the cattle 
plague with varying rapidity when that plague is brought among, 
them by a diseased beast or infected materials. The same remarks 
apply to markets, farm-yards, and town cow-sheds. The filthier 
these places are, the greater, undoubtedly, the facilities for infection • 
but no amount of filth ever produced a specific outbreak of lung 
disease or rinderpest. "We concentrate the poison in foul places, 
but we do not create it. 

"We can, with some show of reason, attribute to steam-power the 
outbreak of contagious diseases in this and other countries during 
the last quarter of a century. But steam has operated in facili- 
tating locomotion, and in placing distant parts in regular and rapid 
communication with each other. Before countries were intersected, 
as they now are, by railways, it took several days to transport ani- 
mals a distance of one hundred miles. It is, of course, better to 
move an animal in a pure van or truck than to walk it along roads 
where its feet may plunge in excrement, or its lungs inhale the 
breath of any sick animal passing, and which, by some strange 
fatality, is sure to be approached. Cattle are inquisitive, and 



270 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

sheep flock toward sheep ; so that if they meet animals of their 
kind, and especially sick ones, they are sure to run up to them 
and smell about, and thus endanger their own lives. 

The excrement which drops from animals affected with rinder- 
pest, and which are driven or placed in trucks or vans, is highly 
charged with poison. It readily communicates the disease, as has 
been proved by myself and others, by inoculation ; and it is well 
known that if a cow places its foot in a mass of this excrement, 
the chances are that it will be inoculated. The intestinal gases 
have been collected and then discharged by the diseased animal, 
so that, if healthy cattle inhale these gases, the probability is that 
they will contract the disease. The discharge from sick animals 
generally, and their manure in particular, are very apt to secure 
an indirect contagion. The greatest care should, therefore, be ex- 
ercised not to disseminate the poison by such means. Food which 
has been mouthed or breathed on by sick cattle is capable of com- 
municating disease, and this should always be kept in mind. It 
is not easy to determine if water, under the same circumstances, 
has a contagious effect. Some persons have supposed that if ani- 
mals with the Russian plague drink from a river whose waters run 
through other farms or districts, the disease may be carried by the 
stream to great distances. This I do not believe, inasmuch as 
water is a great purifying and diluting agent, and even all the 
poison that a large herd of cattle may drop into a river can have 
no effect, as it passes on in an enormous mass of water, which ef- 
fectually weakens and destroys it. The case is different if animals 
are made to drink out of a common pail or trough ; for, in such 
a case, it is not so much the water that carries the virus as the 
sides of the vessel containing that water. It may be noted, how- 
ever, that cattle of different farms often stand for hours together 
in a stream at only a few yards apart ; and here, as in the drink- 
ing-trough, the virus contained in the discharges may reach 
healthy animals unchanged, and thus lead to their contamination. 

In countries or districts where contagious diseases prevail among 
cattle and sheep, we find that slaughter-houses are favorable for 
their dissemination. This is due to the fact that plague-stricken 
animals are taken there for slaughter, are sometimes kept alive for 
hours, or even days, and, when killed, much that is charged with 
virus escapes in surface-drains, or on an open causeway, so that, 
within a certain radius, there is a chance of contaminating healthy 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 271 

stock. One way in which the cattle plague may be carried from 
diseased cattle or from a slaughter-house is unquestionably by flies, 
which, after resting on the carcass or offal of sick animals, fly 
about, rest again on the animal, especially on any wounded parts, 
and thus produce a direct inoculation. Any place in which many 
animals affected with rinderpest are slaughtered, must charge the 
surrounding neighborhood with enough poison to kill large num- 
bers of cattle. The hides and meat of diseased animals carry the 
infection. In Hungary I am told that one common cause of rin- 
derpest outbreak on a farm is the hawking about of the flesh of 
animals slaughtered during an attack of the disease. If the water 
in which such meat is washed be thrown into a yard to which cattle 
have access, an outbreak is almost sure to follow. Jessen speaks 
of cattle becoming infected by drinking the water used in soaking 
or washing salt meat. Slaughter-houses and the traffic in hides 
and meat are probably not so active in favoring the spread of the 
rinderpest as cattle-dealers' farms, and the changes of stock which 
necessarily occur there. The grazing of cattle in neighboring fields, 
feeding them on the road-sides, driving them along paths through 
fields where there is a right of way, are all potent circumstances 
in the dissemination of rinderpest. 

No one doubts that dogs which feast on the carcasses of diseased 
animals are very liable to carry infection. I have been consulted . 
more than once as to the probability of a pack of fox-hounds 
carrying infection over a country by j>assing through fields con- 
taining sick cattle, and afterward crossing healthy farms. It is 
possible that a pack of hounds may carry much excrement charged 
with organic poison from one field to another; therefore, in an 
infected district hunting should, in my opinion, be discontinued. 
Human beings, as well as quadrupeds, are accused of harboring 
the poison and distributing it, and no doubt they do carry it, more 
or less, if great care be not exercised. I have been assured that 
in Russia one common cause of wide-spread outbreaks was the 
practice of calling priests and people together to pray in the cattle- 
sheds, that the plague might be stayed, and the assembled people 
moving thence from farm to farm. Vicq d'Azyr demonstrated, 
last century, that if clothes worn by attendants on diseased cattle 
were placed on sound stock, three animals out of six would be 
seized with the disease. 

Without entering into further details, I may state that the 



272 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

causes here enumerated as affecting the transmission of the cattle 
plague are not imaginary but real. Enough to mention that 
farmers and others, who have any thing to do with rinderpest, 
must regard it as a purely contagious and specific disease, inca- 
pable of spontaneous development, but most readily and certainly 
communicable from diseased to healthy cattle, and sometimes from 
cattle to sheep, or vice versa. 

Symptoms. — The recognition of this disease is greatly facilitated, 
especially when it first appears in a herd, by a knowledge of its 
prevalence in any district or country. I mention this, as in many 
diseases we have premonitory signs similar to those of the cattle 
plague ; and it is especially when we know of its existence in or 
near a country, district, or farm that the earlier symptoms are of 
value. Indeed, when an outbreak is studied, great importance 
should be attached to the period which elapses from the intro- 
duction of a diseased animal, or other source of infection, to the 
first appearance of sickness in a stock. Every specific fever has 
its period of incubation — that period during which the poison is 
insidiously attacking the system of a man or animal — and there 
is no more distinct feature of the cattle plague than its latent 
stage. From four to seven days is the usual period of incubation, 
It often extends to a week, but very rarely, indeed, beyond the 
eighth day. Some say it may be as short as twenty-four hours, 
and others that it occasionally extends to twenty-eight days. 
There are no reliable facts in proof of these extremes, but there 
is a large amount of evidence to show that an animal may be re- 
garded as absolutely free if it does not show signs of disorder 
within ten days after having been exposed to the contagion. In- 
deed, recent inquiries and observations would lead one to regard 
the incubative stage as not often exceeding six days, though the 
earlier or premonitory signs of an attack are not apparent to non- 
professional observers. I consider this point of the greatest im- 
portance in relation to the subject of veterinary inspection, and 
one affording scope for many experiments as to the facilities 
offered for the prevention of the disease, by recognizing sickness 
in animals before they become dangerous from the discharge of 
that poison which is the cause of the propagation of the malady. 
Whenever medical treatment may have to be tried, it is at this 
early period that good results may be anticipated. 

A delicate thermometer indicates an elevation of temperature in 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 273 

the earliest stage of the disease varying from one to four degrees. 
The elevation precedes the acceleration of the pulse and every 
other symptom. It is not uncommon to find it in healthy ani- 
mals varying one or two degrees at different periods of the day, 
so that reliable observations can only be made on a number of 
cattle at the same time, obeying in all the same conditions as to 
the instrument used, the part in which the observation is made, 
whether it be the rectum or vagina, and the length of time the 
instrument is inserted, etc. Sometimes, when animals are excited 
on a hot day, and are hurried into a shed from a field, the ther- 
mometer may rise one or two-tenths more than usual; but if a 
whole stock be examined, any animals suffering, however slightly, 
from the disease, indicate an elevation amounting even to five or 
six degrees. Such an exaltation of temperature is generally in- 
compatible with health, and the only exception yet known to this 
rule is that observed during oestrum or sexual excitement; the 
temperature then rises three or four degrees, and the same may 
be seen just after parturition. A number of experiments prove: 

First. That the temperature is much exalted when the pulse 
indicates slight or no variation from the normal standard. 

Secondly. That there are variations in the frequency of the pulse 
and the temperature during the course of the disease. 

Thirdly. A sudden lowering of temperature usually, if not al- 
ways, precedes death. In the cases quoted above, where the tem- 
perature last taken is marked as high as 105° and 104°, death did 
not take place until ten or twelve hours after the last observation.. 

Fourthly. With the lowering of temperature before death there 1 
is a greatly increased frequency of pulse, varying from 120 beats- 
per minute to such a rate as to render observations almost im- 
possible. 

When animals recover, the temperature decreases gradually tilt 
it reaches its normal standard. There is an absence of very 
marked and sudden change. The transition from sickness to con- 
valescence occurs steadily and with regularity. 

I consider it impossible to over-estimate the importance of 
thermometric observations such as those referred to, and, although! 
similar results may be obtained in the investigation of other dis- 
eases, it is evident that the thermometer affords unerring as well; 
as early evidence of an animal sickening, recovering, or about to* 
die. No other indication is so unmistakable and satisfactory;: 
18 



274 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

and though there are other febrile diseases associated with an 
early elevation in temperature, it must be admitted that, taken 
with the history and symptoms of the case, the accuracy afforded 
by thermometric observations is of the highest moment. 

The visible premonitory signs consist in shivering, muscular 
twitchings, and uneasiness. In some cases there is dullness, and 
in others excitement amounting even to delirium and associated 
with remarkable sensitiveness. There is often a short, husky 
cough ; the appetite is irregular, capricious, and then entirely lost ; 
rumination ceases; the animal grinds its teeth, yawns, arches its 
back, and draws its legs together under its body; the eyes, nose, 
and mouth are dry, red, and hot ; the extremities are cold, though 
the internal heat is high ; constipation, as a rule, exists ; and 
secretion is generally arrested, as indicated in milch cows, by the 
milk at once ceasing to flow. The respirations are often, but not 
invariably, increased in frequency ; expirations succeed the inspi- 
rations tardily, and with each there is a low moan; the temper- 
ature continues to rise, though the animal's skin becomes rigid, 
and indicates functional derangement by a staring coat, dryness, 
and eruptions. 

The redness of the visible mucous membranes, especially of the 
gums, lips, papillae on the inside of the cheeks, is partial, pale, and 
patchy at first. Dr. Weber, has spoken of the aphthous eruption 
■of the mouth, the aphtha? being of circular or indefinite form, 
covered with whitish-yellow granular exudation, which adheres 
very slightly and is easily removed. He also speaks of the red- 
ness of the papillae of the cheeks as always beginning at the apex. 
Jessen has published a pamphlet on the appearance of the buccal 
membranes, which he describes as sometimes consisting in small, 
round nodules (seldom larger than a millet-seed), still covered 
with epithelium when discovered, through which a yellowish or 
yellowish -gray material can be distinguished. Within twenty- 
four hours the epithelium gives way and the contents become 
visible. The result is a superficial lesion, which soon heals. In 
other eases the nodules become confluent, and form a considerable 
enervated ulcer, with irregular margins. The so-called aphthae 
are described by Jessen as small vesicles due to raising of the 
epithelium, and either contains a clear watery or a turbid fluid, 
and leave behind round, flattened excoriations, with even edges. 
My observations, in a considerable number of cases, have shown 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 275 

that on the inner surface of the lips, on the inside of the nostrils, 
and other parts of the mucous membrane, there are at first scarcely 
visible whitish opaque specks, about the size of a small pin's head. 
These are the starting-points for the softening and desquamation 
of epithelium, which results in the dirtyish-yellow, flaky appear- 
ance in some of the worst cases. 

When a number of milch cows has to be examined, one of the 
first symptoms to look for is redness, and a mottled appearance 
of the lining membrane of the vulva and vagina. Animals in 
apparently perfect health, eating well, ruminating, yielding a full 
quantity of milk, are seen to have a reddened condition of the 
mucous membrane of the external organs of generation. The 
redness of the vagina also occurs in animals that have recently 
calved, and it is important to guard against this source of fallacy. 
In many cases the continuous rigors, and singular muscular 
twitchings of the face, ears, and neck, may be regarded as char- 
acteristic. They are not, however, so typical as the discharge 
from the eyes and nose, which soon appears, and which, from 
being glary and watery, changes shortly to a turbid secretion. 
No symptoms can better illustrate the care required in diagnosis 
than the discharge both from the eyes and nose. A marked 
symptom is restlessness, lying down and rising again ; sometimes 
looking round to the flank, and by drawing the hind legs forward, 
denoting more or less colic or abdominal pain. Animals often lie 
on the left side, with the head stretched across the right flank. 
Severe diarrhea sets in, and the animal becomes very thirsty. 
Emphysematous (windy) swellings are apt to form at this period, 
and there are exacerbations (violent) of all the symptoms toward 
night-time. The discharges are all fetid, especially in severe 
cases. The urine is rather scanty, and generally, if not always, 
albuminous. This stage lasts about three days. The symptoms 
increase in severity. The dysentery is aggravated, and the animal 
becomes extremely weak ; it stands and walks with difficulty, and 
lies much. The pulse becomes feeble and indistinct at the jaw; 
it beats from 90 to 130 per minute. The discharge from the eyes, 
nose, and vagina increases; the cough becomes less audible and 
soft. On the buccal and schneiderian membranes, as well as in 
the clefts of the feet, there is a deep redness, with flaky discharge 
of epithelium. The muzzle, angles of the mouth, and membrane 
round the nasal orifices are sometimes ulcerated, with a greenish- 



276 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

yellow and somewhat dense granular and epithelial deposit. On 
opening the mouth, a similar change about the base of the tongue 
and on the inside of the lips is often found. The coldness of the 
extremities, or of the body generally, the stupor or drowsiness, 
quick breathing, and fetor of the exhalations, with spasmodic 
action of the alse nasi, jerking respiration, and moaning, are among 
the most unfavorable symptoms. The feces, at first dark, become 
slimy, charged with masses of detached epithelium, are very fetid, 
and are more or less tinged with blood. The urine acquires a 
dark color, due to the coloring principles of bile. Cows abort, 
and all symptoms of sensibility or consciousness gradually dis- 
appear. 

I have seen many cases which presented, from the earliest mo- 
ment, great disturbance of the organs of respiration. A hacking 
cough, depressed and protruded head, spasmodic action of the nos- 
trils and flanks, indicate serious pulmonary lesions. Emphysema 
takes place, and usually begins in the anterior lobes. Dr. Weber 
remarks that the anterior intercostal spaces become somewhat 
fixed, whereas the posterior true ribs are raised with an effort, 
and sink rapidly. On percussion, the thorax is found to be very 
resonant, and this resonance becomes greater as the emphysema 
increases. On auscultation, rales of various pitches are heard, 
either accompanying the vesicular murmur or superseding it. The 
heart's sounds become inaudible, and impulse imperceptible on 
the left side. As death approaches, the mucous membranes often 
acquire a leaden hue ; the erosions (ulcerations) are marked, and 
blood-spots, or ecchymoses, occur. The partially open and dark 
red or otherwise discolored aspect of the inner surface of the lips 
or the vulva can not fail to be noticed at this stage. The invol- 
untary evacuation of excrement, extreme fetor of all discharges, 
tendency to tympanitis, muscular twitching, lowering of temper- 
ature, and increasing listlessness betoken the approach of death. 

In some cases there are signs of improvement about the third 
day, and then a relapse occui's. Animals may become quite con- 
valescent; but still the gastric or intestinal lesions advance, and 
when least expected, a fortnight or three weeks after marked im- 
provement, alarming symptoms supervene, severe diarrhea occurs 
with the return of other discharges, and the animal soon sinks 
and dies. 

In favorable cases we find a cutaneous eruption on various parts 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 277 

of the skin, especially on the neck, back, and teats, not unlike 
cow-pox. There are instances of severe illness and death with 
this eruption, and, indeed, in bad cases, we sometimes find a dirty 
yellow appearance of the skin of the back, and a desquamation of 
epidermis, which indicates a morbid process of the skin, similar 
to that affecting the mucous membranes. The surface of the skin 
over the neck and withers is often moist or greasjr from an abun- 
dant sebaceous secretion. There are no vesicles, and an entire 
absence, as a rule, of pustules. Convalescence is indicated by a 
certain vivacity, return of appetite, equable temperature of the 
body and extremities, restored secretion of milk, moist muzzle, 
and other well-known signs of health. 

As with other fevers, we find in the rinderpest a marked peri- 
odicity in its manifestations. Improvement in the morning, vio- 
lence of symptoms at night ; a distinct subdivision of an attack 
into stages, and, from the date of the crisis, either sudden aggra- 
vation or gradual abatement of alarming symptoms. There are, 
at times, chronic cases, as in lung disease, and animals get into a 
hectic state, out of which they can not be rallied. It is, therefore, 
evident that the duration of the malady varies. I have seen ani- 
mals dead in the evening which had only indicated active signs 
of the complaint for the first time during the early part of the 
same day. As a rule, death occurs from the third to the sixth day. 

Symptoms in tlie Sheep. — The cattle plague among sheep is 
characterized by comparatively mild symptoms, and frequently 
speedy restoration to health. In 1857, Dr. Keeutzer first de- 
scribed the symptoms of the cattle plague as observed on a sheep 
which had been inoculated on the 1st of October. The period of 
iacubation lasted till the 9th, and was followed by general dis- 
turbance, discharge from eyes and nose, prostration, moaning and 
diarrhea. The animal died on the 13th. Dr. Maeesch observed 
the disease more carefully from 1860 to 1863, and since then much 
information has been obtained. The period of incubation extends 
usually to seven or eight days; languor and dullness appear, with 
redness and prominence of the conjunctiva at the inner angle of 
the eye. There is a yellow discharge which trickles down the 
face, and a viscid phlegm flows from the nostrils ; the head droops, 
and there is grinding of teeth; the appetite is diminished and 
capricious; rumination, suspended; feces, thinnish, and partly 
adhering to the hind legs and tail; there is an occasional cough, 



278 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

with frequent pulse and labored breathing ; the pulse rises from 
120 to 160 beats per minute. Ewes not unfrequently abort, or 
bring forth weakly lambs, which afterward rally. It is not at all 
unusual for the disease to cease at this period, and the animals to 
recover rapidly. In other cases the diarrhea increases; there is 
painful straining, or tenesmus, panting respiration, very feeble 
pulse, and the animal sinks. Great weakness, awkward gait, and 
somewhat severe nervous or convulsive symptoms mark fatal 
cases, when death occurs about the fourth, fifth, or sixth day from 
the commencement of the disease. When a case takes the more 
usual and favorable turn, there is more liveliness, improved appe- 
tite, restored rumination, less discharge from the eyes and nose, 
and diminished frequency of pulse and respirations. The animals 
are quite convalescent in from ten to fourteen days. In some 
cases, such as those observed by Dr. Leicht in 1860, the disease 
is more rapid. The animals stagger, lie down much, shake their 
heads, have a dense discharge from the eyes, are subject to diar- 
rhea, and die, sometimes, within twenty-four hours of the first 
appearance of premonitory signs. 

There are as great variations in the sjnnptoms in sheep as there 
are among cattle. Some cases differ from those described above, 
as the animals stand, are dull, and keep apart from the flock ; there 
is no appetite, no rumination ; constipation at first, followed by 
diarrhea ; arched back ; elevated temperature of the skin ; eyes 
sunken and discharging ; from the nose a quantity of dense, gray- 
ish-yellow, flaky matter drops, and the mucous membranes of the 
mouth and nose are reddened, showing erosions and desquamations 
of epithelium ; the breathing and pulse are accelerated ; there is 
pain on pressing the loins, and, at last, general prostration. 

Special Symptoms in cases of Cattle Plague coupled with Pleuro- 
pneumonia. — The animals seized with the two diseases at once 
are observed to suffer from greater prostration and more labored 
breathing at the outset. The short grunt of lung disease begins 
early ; there is a spasmodic action of the nostrils, and, on auscul- 
tation, the impervious condition of the portion of the diseased lung 
is ascertained. Any one acquainted with the two diseases can read- 
ily recognize such cases. 

Special Symptoms in cases of Cattle Plague coupled with tha 
Foot and Mouth Disease. — It is more difficult to diagnose rinder- 
pest in its earliest stages when epizootic aphtha has attacked a 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 279 

herd. Smacking of the lips, eruption, and salivation exist; but 
the greatest reliance is to be placed in the usual lameness and 
morbid condition of the feet in foot and mouth disease, as also the 
usual eruption on the teats, and tendency to congest ion and in- 
flammation of the udder. When the cattle plague advances, there 
is the shivering, discharge from the eyes and nose, the diarrhea 
and prostration not usually seen in epizootic aphtha. 

The Nature of the Cattle Plague. — From all that has been said 
in the preceding pages, it is evident that the murrain of the steppes 
is not typhus, nor is it the typhoid or enteric fever which we ob- 
serve in man. Not only is it distinct in its origin, progress, and 
essential nature from any known contagious disease of the human 
subject, but it is, undoubtedly, a specific bovine fever, manifesting 
all its characteristic features in horned cattle alone, though expe- 
rience has proved that there are circumstances under which the 
plague may be communicated to the buffalo, goat, sheep, deer, 
gazelle, zebu, yak, auroch, ibex, and other wild ruminants. One 
experiment, performed by myself, proves the communication of the 
disease to the deer ; but it is remarkable that until the recent out- 
break of rinderpest in the gardens of the Paris Acclimatization 
Society, in the Bois de Boulogne, it was not known that the ma- 
jority of wild ruminants could catch the disease and suffer from 
it in a virulent form. It never attacks men, horses, dogs, and, 
indeed, the great majority of warm-blooded animals; and it is 
worthy of special remark that the virulent animal poison, which 
is the active agent in the development and propagation of the 
malady, originates in the system of the ox, is perpetuated in 
countries where herds of cattle abound, and is not to be found 
where bovine animals are wanting. The history of the cattle 
plague clearly indicates that the disease has been always recognized 
as attacking horned stock almost exclusively, and that it spreads 
from country to country through the trade in cattle or the trans- 
port of oxen in the rear of armies. The poison does pass through 
the system of some ruminants besides those of the bovine race, but 
it appears to be deprived of much of its force until it returns to 
members of the ox tribe. 

The cattle plague is not a local disorder ; it is not an affection 
of any special organ or group of organs. It is a systemic disease — 
a fever in which the mucous membranes and skin are specially 
implicated. There are important local and characteristic mani- 



280 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

festations, usually most marked in the mouth, fourth stomach, and 
intestines, in the organs of generation, and frequently in the re- 
spiratory passages. It is, however, something different, and some- 
thing more than an inflammation of the breathing, or digestive, 
or generative systems. The cell growth, fatty and molecular dis- 
integrations, desquamation, and discharge of the epithelial and 
epidermic cells, are typical of this disease. In this way it can 
only be classified among general diseases, with fevers of a specific 
kind, and which originate from specific causes, run a definite 
course, manifest a singular periodicity in their progress, and have 
a marked tendency to destroy life. 

The pathological process, observed from first to last, indicates 
an early development of severe febrile disturbance. All the func- 
tions are modified. The temperature of the body fast rises ; gen- 
eral functional disturbance soon follows, and the blood loses its 
watery parts and soluble albumen, indicating, also, a large increase 
in the proportion of blood-corpuscles and fibrine to serum. The 
process of assimilation is checked ; the large reservoirs in which 
the food is prepared for true gastric and intestinal digestion be- 
come torpid ; the rumen, reticulum, and omasum retain a large 
quantity of solid food, and their movements are stopped ; the 
fourth stomach ceases to secrete gastric juice, its epithelium is 
thrown off, a morbid cellular deposit clogs the gastric glands, and 
the proper preparation of aliment for intestinal digestion can no 
longer occur. The intestine is the seat of inflammation and ex- 
travasation ; its contents indicate the drain of the blood of its 
soluble albumen and other products; the intestinal epithelium is 
rapidly ejected, and, in some cases, many of the glands become 
clogged with a deposit similar to that which is found in the folli- 
cles of the gastric mucous membrane. A free suppuration is no- 
where witnessed, but discharges flow from the mucous membranes, 
and are highly charged with epithelial cells and the specific virus 
of the disease. The rapidity and completeness of the general 
functional disturbance is indicated not only by the checked pro- 
cess of assimilation, the nature of the intestinal contents, and the 
general implication of the mucous membranes, but it is recognized 
on an examination of the albuminous and dark-colored urine, the 
disposition to early putrefaction, fetor of the secretions, etc. All 
shows that the cattle plague poison speedily induces in the system of 
a susceptible animal changes which defy the successful use of medi- 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 281 

cine, and which must inevitably result in death. Like most ani- 
mal poisons, the rinderpest virus is reproduced with marvelous 
rapidity in, and discharged abundantly from, the bodies of sick 
animals. The breath of a sick ox inspired by a healthy animal, 
and the solid products of the disease, seem to be alike capable of 
inducing the malady; and antidotes are applied too late when an 
attempt is made to reach the poison in the animal's system. I 
know of no antidote to be used internally. Agents are employed 
which, when directly mixed with the virus, kill it; and caustic 
alkalies, mineral acids, chlorine, iodine, carbolic acid, creosote, 
the alkaline permanganates, and other oxidizing or decomposing 
agents, render it perfectly inert. I have no faith in our ever 
reaching the virus with effect in the living animal. We must 
not even expect too much from the system of treating certain 
symptoms during the progress of the disease, which is frequently 
confounded by the unskilled with the effectual treatment of the 
disease itself. A large proportion of animals seized must always 
die: A certain percentage will always recover, and this depends 
on the severity of the attack, the constitutional resistance of the 
animals seized, and the consequent extent and rapidity of the 
morbid changes which occur. 

Treatment. — The steppe murrain is essentially one of those dis- 
eases for which prevention is better than attempted cure. Urgently 
enforcing this doctrine has cost me the good opinion of some, who, 
without duly considering the importance of slaughtering the dis- 
eased and infected animals for the protection of many untainted 
herds, argue that it is not scientific to exterminate the malady by 
destroying diseased animals. The cattle plague can be prevented 
and can be extinguished, at comparatively small cost and with the 
greatest certainty, in countries such as England. Whatever ten- 
tative trials are made as to treatment, this fact must ultimately 
reveal itself, that it is impossible to deal with outbreaks of rinder- 
pest by administering drugs. I hold it to be eminently scientific 
to act on our knowledge of the cause of any disease ; and, know- 
ing, from lengthened experience, how easily disseminated and ma- 
lignant cattle plague virus is, it has been my duty to insist on its 
early and complete destruction, so that it should never reach the 
systems of herds of animals, in which, when it has once entered, 
it can not be counteracted by any known antidote. 

The cattle plague is not so deadly in its effects as equine glan- 



282 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

ders, cancer, or well-developed human phthisis; but no known 
remedy restores an animal once severely attacked, and the admin- 
istration of medicine is, as a rule, not required to save the small 
percentage which may recover. As, however, the malady has been 
suffered to spread, veterinarians are called upon to adopt means 
of cure. With a view, therefore, to indicate what has been sug- 
gested and what may be attempted, I shall draw attention to the 
following points: 

Precautions to be observed so as to prevent the 
spread of disease from a herd under treatment. 

Hygienic management. 

Medicinal agents used. 

Methods of treatment suggested at various times in 
this country and abroad. 

Precautions to be observed so as to Prevent the Spread of iJisease 
from a herd under Treatment. — Diseased cattle should be placed for 
treatment in warm and detached buildings where proper ventila- 
tion, drainage, and facilities for feeding can be obtained. They 
should not be left in the fields, and are best kept entirely in the 
house until perfectly recovered. The sheds should be kept clean, 
frequently disinfected, and every particle of urine and excrement 
must be disinfected by means of chlorinated lime. People attend- 
ing the stock must be kept there for that purpose, and not allowed 
to rove about and go on other farms, or to fairs and markets. All 
dogs should be tied up, and every attention paid to cleanliness 
with other stock and in farm-yards generally. Dirt and negli- 
gence are great propagators of the cattle plague. It is impossible 
to be too clean or too careful in avoiding the carriage of tainted 
objects from an infected to a healthy farm or district. 

Hygienic Management. — This is of far greater importance than 
any medicine or system of medication hitherto recommended; and 
I have to direct the attention of my professional brethren to sev- 
eral points of incalculable importance. It is not desirable to have 
many animals in the same shed when under treatment, and several 
attendants are essential, so that proper care be taken of the cattle. 
"When a large stock has to be treated, the labor and trouble is 
enormous ; it will not do, therefore, to trust to a few attendants, 
who get tired and faint-hearted over their work, especially when 
the number of animals recovering is not large. If possible, it is 
undoubtedly best to have the animals loose; but this can only be 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 283 

secured where isolated cases are under treatment. With forty or 
fifty beasts sick at one time, loose boxes can not usually be obtained ; 
and it is not desirable to keep many sick animals loose in a yard. 
As a rule, in winter all the animals should be clothed, lightly, but 
sufficiently, so as to favor cutaneous exhalation. The shed is best 
kept at a proper and never-varying temperature, not exceeding 
58° Fahrenheit. Proper ventilation is indispensable to recovery, 
and heat must not be purchased at the expense of atmospheric 
purity. Clothe the animals rather than close the aperatures made 
for the purposes of ventilation. In order to secure purity of the 
atmosphere, every attention should be paid to sweeping away ex- 
crement and washing the stalls thoroughly by means of common 
soda and water. The use of chlorinated lime is not to be advocated 
where stock is under treatment, as the chlorine gas induces great 
disturbance, irritation of the respiratory passages, and a trouble- 
some cough. I prefer cleanliness and abundance of fresh air where 
the cattle are actually diseased, to any system of disinfectants, and 
the chlorinated lime is best used to disinfect the manure-heap and 
other objects outside the shed containing the sick. The food al- 
lowed to animals varies much according to circumstances. During 
the various stages of acute disease it should be given sparingly. 
At first linseed tea or linseed gruel, well boiled, may serve as a 
laxative, with or without medicine. Linseed is not to be con- 
tinued when purging begins ; well-boiled oatmeal gruel should then 
be substituted for it. The oatmeal gruel, which is perhaps the 
best nutritive material to be given from first to last, is made by 
taking a peck of meal for every three or four animals, and adding 
some cold water. Boiling water is then mixed and stirred with the 
whole, until it acquires a proper consistency to be poured through 
a towel or sieve; and thus all the coarser and more indigestible 
portions of the meal are removed. The gruel is boiled for at least 
ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, and is used warm. About 
half a gallon of it may be given three or four times daily ; and if 
the cattle drink it voluntarily, so much the better. Badly-made 
oatmeal gruel irritates the stomach and intestines, and aggravates 
the diarrhea. When animals are severely affected they do not 
eat ; but if they have any appetite, well-boiled mashes should be 
made for them. Of these we can suggest a great variety, such as 
steeping barley for a time, throwing off the water, adding fresh, 
and boiling the barley; the whole is then allowed to rest for 



284 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

awhile, and bran is mixed with it, as well as a certain quantity 
of well-boiled turnips. The mash must be moderately salted. 
The barley may be replaced by brewer's grains, and a moderate 
quantity of bean or peasemeal — say half a pound of the latter 
morning and night. One of the best managers of cows I ever 
knew made, for every sick animal that would eat, a mash of four 
handfuls of bran, four of brewer's draff, one pound of peasemeal, 
and two pounds of well-boiled mashed turnips. This was given 
thrice daily to each animal. Cattle have been fed on milk, soups, 
etc., but not with the same benefit as with vegetable food which 
was properly cooked, and not allowed to get sour. Great modera- 
tion in diet is essential. The sick cattle must have cold water to 
drink in small quantities, and at least every two hours. Their 
mouths are parched, and great benefit is derived from frequent 
allowances of fresh water, which may be acidulated with a little 
vinegar, or given alone. All animals under treatment must be 
kept scrupulously clean, and are benefited by brushing, washing, 
hand-rubbing, bandaging the legs, etc. As a means of insuring 
cleanliness and action of the skin, I think it is very probable that 
the hot-air bath, when at hand, may be of great service, as also 
the vapor bath or the wet packing, used occasionally. 

Medicines. — The plan principally adopted in the treatment of 
cattle suffering from steppe murrian has consisted in giving so- 
lutions, mixtures, and powders, either alone or in food. There 
are various ways, however, which might be resorted to, and per- 
haps with benefit, and which would effectually set aside some of 
the uncertain and often injurious administration of draughts. In 
order to explain myself fully on this subject, I shall consider the 
various methods by which remedies may be given internally. 

Administration by the Mouth. — It is often possible, in the early 
stage of disease, and in favorable cases when appetite returns in 
the later stages, to give animals tasteless or palatable drugs in 
food, and this is by far the best plan. The frequent, troublesome, 
and somewhat dangerous drenching to which sick cattle are sub- 
jected, should, if possible, be dispensed with. I have seen so 
many animals tormented and injured by the administration of 
medicines, treacle, gruel, and other liquids, that I venture to 
make a few remarks on the operation of giving a draught. In 
the first place, glass bottles are dangerous ; and nothing is so use- 
ful as a horn of proper shape, or a tin instrument made in the 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 235 

shape of a horn, with its mouth well rounded off. The operator 
should go up to the right side of the animal, pass his hand over 
the face into the angle of the mouth on the left side. The head 
is bent round, not elevated, except to a very slight extent; and if 
the person giving the draught plants his feet well on the ground, 
with his back against the animal's shoulder, he can steady him- 
self well, and, holding the horn or other instrument charged with 
the draught in his right hand, he can pour it by degrees into the 
animal's mouth. It has often pained me to see sick cattle seized 
by the nose, and, with their heads drawn up and necks stretched 
out, required to gulp down a quantity of liquid which can not be 
conveniently swallowed in such a position. Often have I seen ar 
animal get worse after such treatment, and the passage of medi- 
cine into the windpipe and lungs was not unfrequently the cause 
of aggravated symptoms. One great objection to the adminis- 
tration of draughts when an animal is suffering from the cattle 
plague is, that they accumulate in the rumen, do not reach the 
true stomach until the diarrhea, inseparable from the disease, sets 
in, and then the accumulated drugs exert a most prejudicial in- 
fluence. It is incredible how long a vast amount of medicine, 
and very acrid, irritating medicine, too, may remain unchanged, 
unabsorbed, and inactive in the paunch of an ox, which is usually 
full of vegetable food throughout the progress of an attack of the 
plague. 

Administration by the Rectum. — Injections, given carefully with 
an enema funnel, have the benefit of creating little disturbance, 
and the power of solution and absorption of remedies is probably 
as great, if not greater, in the rectum during this disease as in 
the stomach and small intestine. Simple warm-water injections, 
cathartic, stimulating, sedative, and even nutritive enemata, de- 
serve a fair trial, and as much good may be anticipated from them 
as from the administration of draughts. 

Subcutaneous Injections. — Various medicinal agents have been 
effectually introduced into the system by being injected into the 
open tissue beneath the skin. This plan can be adopted if such 
remedies as tincture of aconite, solutions of belladonna, of various 
alkaloids, and other agents which do not irritate and inflame the 
tissue, are used. 

Injection into Veins. — The principal object in view in resorting 
to this operation would be to try the effect of injecting about a 



286 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

pint or a quart of water, at 100° Fahrenheit, after abstracting a sim- 
ilar quantity of blood from one of the j ugular veins. The operation 
should be tried in the early stage of the disease, and the result 
usually observed is purgation, action of the kidneys, and free ex- 
halation from the skin. The system might thus be prepared for 
any further course of treatment. The operation is simple, and 
unattended with bad results. 

External Applications. — The method of applying heat, cold ru- 
befacients, and blisters to the surface of the skin is too well known 
to deserve any lengthened description. Dashing cold water over 
the body, and then using towels and wisps of hay to dry and warm 
the animal, has been often recommended. The vapor bath, by 
covering the animal, head excepted, with woolen rugs, fixed out 
by sticks, etc., and then heating the air between the rugs and the 
skin by a spirit or gas-lamp, has been suggested. If mustard 
poultices are used, they should be large, warm, and applied with 
a rug to the body, so as to be kept on for three or four hours. 
Rugs dipped in boiling water, wrung out thoroughly, and applied 
to the abdomen, have been resorted to. 

Internal Remedies. — A close observation of the treatment adopted 
by empirics has led me to the conclusion that no remedy, or class 
of remedies, can be regarded as absolutely efficacious in any real 
case of rinderpest. Some animals recover despite the mode of 
treatment, but the majority die. I shall here notice some of the 
principal remedial agents used by myself and others under va- 
rious heads. 

Most veterinarians consider that the over-distended stomachs 
and the marked constipation should be relieved. From the fact 
that the omasum is loaded with dry food, even in the later stages 
of cases attended by great diarrhea, it is believed by some that 
smart and early purging is desirable. Full quantities of Epsom 
salts, linseed oil, and even croton oil, have been given, and a very 
common result of drastic cathartic doses is to induce an early and 
very fatal diarrhea. There are more advocates for mild laxatives, 
such as treacle, small and repeated doses of sulphate of soda, sul- 
phur, and oil. I have treated many cases successfully without 
attempting to relax the bowels, and have certainly had as much 
success then as when either mild or active purgatives have been 
prescribed. A purgative which may be used advantageously is 
the following : 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 287 

Sulphate of magnesia 12 oz. 

Sulphur 4 oz. 

Spirits of nitric ether 1 oz. 

Niter „ -§• oz. 

Water 1 quart. 

As this is not apt to induce much purgation, a bottle of linseed 
oil may be given after it. Oil of turpentine, to the extent of two 
or four ounces, has been given with a quart bottle of linseed oil, 
and with good effect when no other purgative has been admin- 
istered. 

I think that injections have been too much overlooked in the 
treatment of this disease. They may be given at first to move 
the bowels, and various forms of medicated or nutritive injections 
might prove of service. When the diarrhea comes on, and there 
is some tenesmus, an injection may be given of one pint of starch 
emulsion, containing one ounce of laudanum, to be repeated, if 
necessary. . It is desirable to guard against irritation of the rec- 
tum as a result of frequent enemata. 

Niter has been extensively used during the present outbreak, 
and in considerable doses, with a view to aid in the elimination 
of the virus. It is apt to weaken, and must be prescribed in 
moderation. It has no specific action of value. Oil of turpen- 
tine, which is a stimulant as well as diuretic, has been strongly 
recommended by some, in ounce and two ounce doses. 

Warm clothing, the application of heat to the skin by means 
of heating the air, confined with woolen covers arranged round 
the animal, and the internal use of liquor ammoniac acetatis, oil 
of turpentine, and other agents calculated to excite perspiration, 
have been most strongly advocated. I undoubtedly prefer to ex- 
cite the action of the skin by raising the temperature of the air 
rather than by the employment of internal remedies, which often 
act feebly and very imperfectly on the lower animals. 

Stimulants have had their strong advocates. I have given 
whisky, brandy, spirits of wine, in two ounce doses, every two or 
three hours, and some animals have recovered while others have 
died. Carbonate of ammonia, in half ounce doses, has been largely 
employed, and seems to agree as well as any thing with the sick 
animals. Strong ale, porter, port wine, and other more or less 
active beverages containing alcohol, have been principally used 
when animals have been convalescent. 

I have not resorted to sedatives to any great extent in this 



288 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

malady. Tincture of aconite, in thirty-drop doses, lias been ad- 
ministered at frequent intervals. Extract of belladonna and 
considerable doses of opium have been chosen from among nar- 
cotic remedies as affording the best chance of regulating, at dif- 
ferent times, the condition of the bowels. 

Nitrate of potash, chlorate of potash, and acetate of ammonia, 
have been freely administered, and, in some cases, with apparently 
good effect. These agents are almost exclusively relied on in 
certain febrile disorders from their action on the blood, and the 
favorable effects they induce in activating the secretion of the 
skin, kidneys, and mucous membranes generally. They are ad- 
ministered singly or combined, in moderate and repeated doses^ 
with or without carbonate of ammonia, and dissolved in a consid- 
erable quantity of water. 

Mineral and vegetable tonics are used with benefit in the con- 
valescent state, and, if net given in large doses, so as to induce 
derangement of the stomach and bowels, they accelerate the return 
to health in a very decided manner. Vegetable tonics, such as 
chinchona bark in decoction, or infusion of gentian, are given about 
an hour before feeding-time, and serve to stimulate the appetite. 
Of all the mineral tonics, sulphate of iron is the best, and should 
be given in drachm closes in food. Preparations of iron have 
been supposed to act powerfully as prophylactics, and for this 
purpose I recommended them when I first recognized the exist- 
ence of the disease in the country. 

Mineral acids have claimed a great share of attention, and I 
have been in the habit of using them freely. Hydrochloric acid, 
largely diluted, has lately been vaunted as a specific. Sulphuric 
acid has been more frequently used. Nitromuriatic acid is ser- 
viceable in the convalescent stage. 

Methods of treatment may be classified under two heads- — Pre- 
ventive and Curative Treatment. 

Preventive Treatment. — A somewhat rational plan, recommended 
from the commencement, was the daily administration of tonics, 
in addition to proper feeding, ventilation, and use of disinfectants. 
Iron has proved so useful in my own practice during outbreaks 
of contagious diseases, that, in a circular entitled "Advice to 
Owners of Cattle," dated the 3d of August, I said : " The ad- 
ministration of tonics in moderation, and especially preparations 
of iron, may be recommended for all cattle that have been acci- 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 289 

dentally subjected to the contact of infected animals. All should 
be done to support the animal's strength, that it may withstand 
the disorder." Shortly afterward, the British Consul at Warsaw 
brought to the notice of the British Government, in the month of 
August, a remedy for the rinderpest, adopted with much success 
in Poland, in 1857: "The putting of old iron into the troughs 
from which the cattle drink, so as to produce a highly chalybeate 
water. The efficacy of this mode of treatment is said to have 
been discovered by the almost entire immunity from the disease, 
in 1857, of the cattle on a farm where there was a chalybeate 
spring." An observer recommends <i plentiful supply of bruised 
oak bark as a great preserver, and fresh-powdered carbonate of 
ammonia, dissolved in about the proportion of a tea-spoonful to a 
quart of the water supplied to the cattle, to keep their blood pure 
and in a state to resist infection. Sulphurous acid and its salts 
have been strongly advocated, and Dr. Drtjitt, Dr. Smart, Dr. 
Wilkinson, and others, have recommended daily doses of hypo- 
sulphite of soda to healthy cattle in infected districts. The use 
of vinegar has also been suggested. Two calves were placed 
among a number of diseased cows, and had a wine-glassful of 
vinegar in a pint of water twice a day ; they also had their eyes 
and nostrils sponged with the same mixture, with complete suc- 
cess. Tar-water, made of the best Barbacloes tar and capsicum, 
was also suggested. Hot tar was to be painted on the cribs and 
mangers, and a little tar was to be smeared on each nostril, and 
upon every foot, and between each Hoof. 

Curative Treatment. — It is difficult to classify the many extra- 
ordinary methods of treatment suggested since the 1st of August 
last for the treatment of steppe murrain. Advocates of hot-air' 
and vapor baths have been very positive in their statements, some,. 
like Mr. R. Monteith, insisting on the value of the first, and; 
others asserting their firm belief in the second, especially in com- 
bination with other remedies. The vapor bath is an old method' 
of treatment, said to originate with the celebrated Thaer, the^ 
father of scientific agriculture in Germany, who is reported to* 
have applied it with signal success during the murrain year of 
1828. A large copper kettle is sunk in the earth and filled with 
water. A strong fire is then kindled underneath the kettle, over 
which perforated boards have been laid. When the water boils,. 

*;he sick animal is placed on the boards and covered with a wooleni 
19 



290 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



cloth, and a linen one above it. The animal is kept there from 
half to one hour, then rubbed dry, kept warm, and allowed hay 
and gruel. Great attention was paid to this method of treatment 
by a Russian farmer, who explained it, in a letter to our Ambas- 
sador at the Court of the Czar, Sir A. Buchanan, which was 
forwarded in a dispatch to Earl Russell, on the 3d of October, 
1865. Mr. Feuling, the gentleman in question, spoke confi- 
dently of the value of the vapor bath ; and the faith in the remedy 
increased when Mr. Graham, of Capellie, near Glasgow, detailed 
recoveries under the following system. Mr. Graham adminis- 
tered 

Sulphur 3 table-spoonfuls. 

Niter 3 table-spoonfuls. 

Ginger \ table-spoonful. 

Treacle 1 pound. 

In warm water. 

The animal was to be packed in three heavy horse-rugs, well 
saturated with cold water, and three other rugs were wrapped 
over them. In a letter to Sir Fitzroy Kelly, Dr. Druitt 
enters somewhat fully into the kind of remedies which may be 
found serviceable in the treatment of the plague, and his observa- 
tions are condensed in the subjoined note : 

"In any zymotic disease, the first question is, Can we stop it? 
Can we put out the fire? Have we any medicines capable of 
summarily checking the disease before it comes to the point at 
which it is naturally spent? We wish we had, but have not. 
Providence will show us the way some day, if we exert ourselves; 
but at present the only fevers which we can cut short are the ma- 
larious ones — ague, remittent, jungle fevers, etc. — against which we 
have quinine, arsenic, and other tonics. We have not at present 
any remedies on which we can rely for cutting short any true 
zymotic disease, such as small-pox, chicken-pox, measles, scarlet 
fever, typhoid, typhus, whooping-cough, and all that other dreary 
catalogue ; but if we are to make experiments on the rinderpest, 
there are two or three glimmers of light to guide us. Supposing 
that we seek for remedies for the early stage. To cut the disease 
short, deliberate trials should be made — first, into the various 
alkaloids, amorphous or crystallized, produced from chinchona 
bark, of which quinine is the chief. But there are many others, 
such as chinchonine, chinchonidine, and quinidine, which are got 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 291 

from the bark, which may now, or will soon bo, obtained abun- 
dantly in India, and which are cheaper. We have just as much 
reason, and no more, to expect these substances to cure the cattle 
plague as the Spanish pilgrims had, three centuries ago, to expect 
the bark to cure the Countess of Chinchon's ague. It was a fair 
experiment, which succeeded. Certainly, large doses of these al- 
kaloids ought to be well tried. If we give six doses, of ten grains 
each, to a man weighing one hundred and sixty pounds, we ought 
to give in the same proportion per weight to a cow. Secondly, 
there are various combinations of bitters, astringents, and aro- 
matics, with stimulants. When they could get no Peruvian bark 
on the continent, during the war with France, combinations of 
alum, oak bark, gentian, and aromatics were used, with more or 
less success, for their malarious fevers. Thirdly, there are certain 
saline matters, such as nitrate of potass and chlorate of potass, 
antimony, purgatives, etc., which have more or less virtue in al- 
laying some feverish symptoms, but which are not to be relied on 
in any zymotic or malarious disease. Lastly, there are stimulants 
which may be tried in the commencement of the attack with the 
hope of enabling the animal to shake off the disease, even as a 
glass of hot brandy-and-water, Turkish bath, and other excitants, 
may, as I believe, enable man to shake off the earliest stage of 
influenza. So far, then, as remedies are concerned which tend to 
cut the disease short, experience bids us look for specifics among 
the quinine group. And it is experience only that can teach us. 
But, confessing that we are unable to deal with the disease in its 
essence, there is a very great deal we can do in the way of miti- 
gating its local effects — of keeping up the strength, of preventing 
the patient being poisoned by the poisonous secretions generated 
within her own system ; of checking exhausting discharges ; and 
of rendering those secretions innoxious to other animals. It 
must, however, be borne in mind that while we speak of the 
different stages of the disease, and can always separate them in 
idea, they may be all so crowded together that it may be necessary 
to begin at the very outset with the treatment adapted for pre- 
venting local ravages and intestinal infection. Now, the chief 
local effects produced by the rinderpest are a softened, congested 
state of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal, with copi- 
ous fetid discharge from the bowels ; and the most likely class of 
remedies are those which will restrain this discharge, and so pre- 



292 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

vent it from draining the patient, and which shall deprive it of 
its poisonous qualities, and thus hinder it from doing mischief to 
the patient, or, if voided, from contaminating other animals. If 
putrid excretions be poured out in the bowels of any animaf, they 
poison the animal's blood, cause all fresh food to be tainted, 
and, when voided, they are the source of contagion to others. 
Now, then, we seek a remedy which shall not be poisonous in 
itself, which shall have tonic or nutritive virtues, which shall 
restrain excessive discharges, and which shall have the power of 
deodorizing and disinfecting the contents of the alimentary canal. 
Such a remedy is the tincture of sesquichloride of iron. The 
mineral acids, well diluted — as the nitric, muriatic, and sul- 
phuric — do in a lesser degree what the tincture of steel does. 
Their influence in atonic diarrhea is marvelous; and we ought 
to know their results in the rinderpest. Small quantities of 
opium may be added. The trisnitrate of bismuth, in ounce doses, 
would deodorize the alimentary canal, and soothe it and restrain 
diarrhea. I have published cases showing how, in threatened 
ulceration of the bowels, the human alimentary canal may be 
quieted by adequate doses of this excellent drug. Sulphate of 
jjotass, and other compounds of sulphurous acid, have great virtue 
in checking fermentation, and have been proposed by Polli as 
remedies in zymotic fevers. We want experiments with large 
doses of these. But I suspect they are of more value as prevent- 
ives than as curatives — to disinfect unwholesome water, to rinse 
the mouths of animals exposed to contagion, and the like. There 
is the class of creosotes — medicines, such as carbolic acid, which 
check fermentation, act as antiseptics and deodorizers, and are 
capital in certain cases of dyspepsia and diarrhea. Here, then, 
we have half-a-dozen remedies, and the example I have given 
from practice on man shows the precise method in which good 
results are to be looked for. I reiterate again the necessity of 
disinfecting the whole tract of bowels, of restraining discharge, 
and of rendering the fecal matter innoxious to the patient and 
her neighbors — all this, too, as a means of helping the patient to 
live through her disease till its fury be overpast. Whisky, sweet 
spirits of niter, beef-tea, and other nourishment, should be given 
freely. There are other remedies, too, as yeast, in large quantities, 
whose modus operandi is probably that of an antiseptic, and others. 
Enough if I can succeed in inducing any one, who can do so with 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 293 

safety, to make a resolute series of experiments on diseased ani- 
mals." A veterinary chemist recommends: 

Chlorate of potash. ......-?........., 1 oz. 

Nitrate of potash .... ........ ....... 1 oz. 

Strong muriatic acid ................ 1 dr. 

Powdered opium . . ........... 1 dr. 

Decoction of linseed ................ 11 pints* 

Mix together for one dose. 

This, it is said, " can not fail to alleviate the trouble, if not 
entirely ward off the disease, if given on the first symptoms, and 
followed up three times a day." 

The following prescription has also been recommended: 

Chlorate of potash "J 

Common salt. t Each 1 oz. 

Niter ............................ j 

Dissolve them in a pint of hot water, in which an ounce of 
dilute hydrochloric acid has been mixed, and administer in a suf- 
ficient quantity of their gruel for a dose. Mr. Moffat's pre- 
scription consists of 

Chlorate of potash ................. 3 dr. 

Tartar emetic. 5 gr. 

Carbonate of iron 15 gr. 

Mr. Crotch, M. A., recommended the injection of various an- 
tisceptic and parasiticide salts into the circulation of the veins, and 
the hyposulphite of soda, the permanganate of potash, or the per- 
chlorate of soda are said to be well adapted to this purpose. Dr. 
Cask speaks of a dozen cows cured " by removing the diseased 
cattle from the shed and tethering them in a shaded spot in the 
field, administering warm drinks of gruel or linseed tea, with aro- 
matic seeds (fennel or caraway), an astringent, if diarrhea be 
urgent, and blistering the throat. The mouth is frequently washed 
with strong vinegar and water* and vinegar is also administered 
to the extent of a pint or more daily." 

Dr. Smart's method of treatment has been described by him- 
self as follows: 

u General Principles of Treatment. — These are based upon a 
knowledge of the pathology of the disease, and indicate the line 
of treatment to be adopted in dealing with it. 

1. The Animal Temperature is Lowered and Deficient. — This hag 
to he restored and maintained. To do so the affected animal is 



294 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

protected from all direct draughts of air, placed in a house or byre 
with an equable temperature not under 70° Fahrenheit, and the 
hide thoroughly oleaned and rubbed down, and a warm covering 
kept on the animal throughout the progress of the case. 

2. TJie Stomachs are Loaded and Distended with Food. — This 
condition, by preventing access of medicine and suitable nourish- 
ment, presents a very great obstacle to treatment. But it also 
indicates the line of treatment to be adopted at this stage ; namely, 
to remove the hurtful accumulation as quickly as possible. This 
must be done by mild purgation, suited to the already irritable 
condition of the lining membrane of the stomach and bowels. 
The medicines here indicated are gentle relaxants, combined with 
diuretic action. 

3. Extreme Vital Depression is characteristic of the Disease 
throughout . its entire Progress. — This is conjoined with a very 
peculiar and rapidly-destructive change of some of the internal 
structures. Stimulants to support the depressed vital powers, and 
resist, as far as possible, this tendency to destructive dissolution, 
are thus clearly indicated from the very commencement. And as 
it is of importance to make the healthy organs subserve the pur- 
pose of removing from the blood the morbid materials that may 
exist in it and in the general system, stimulant treatment should 
conjoin with it remedies fitted to excite the functional activity of 
the two great eliminators of this class ; namely, the skin and kid- 
neys. Hence stimulant, diaphoretic, and diuretic action are here 
indicated. Regular milking of the diseased cow, in order to pre- 
vent the retention in the blood of the elements of the milk, is, 
also, on the same general principles, clearly indicated throughout 
the entire course of the disease. 

4. It almost appears an axiom to say that a properly-regulated 
and rational system of nursing is in the treatment of disease in 
cattle, as in man, of very great importance to the comfort of the 
sick, and as an aid to their recovery. In the present example, no 
method of combating the malady can be of any use in which care- 
ful nursing does not form the basis of every other effort to restore 
health. It is not idle to repeat this, because, in any system of 
treatment hitherto made public, the importance of this fact has 
either been insufficiently recognized or entirely overlooked. Hence 
arises the necessity of there being kind, skillful^ and experienced 
attendants, and a well-regulated dietary. 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 295 

Remedies. — These are few, simple, and selected on the principles 
above stated. My experience of their suitableness is every day 
more established by fresh examples of their efficacy. There are 
yet only three kinds of drugs which I found it requisite to em- 
ploy. 1. Laxative, with diuretic action. This is principally 
used in the early, but often required at other periods, in the prog- 
ress of the disease. It is composed of 

Nitrate of potash ) , ., 

-n j j r . > each 1 oz. 

Jrowdered ginger ) 

Powder of sublimed sulphur. 2 oz. 

Treacle. , 1 lb. 

Water to make a quart, and well mixed. 

This quantity is given night and morning, or, if requisite, offc- 
ener, until scouring is produced. Afterward, an occasional bottle 
will maintain the free movement of the bowels, without inducing 
excessive action. As the vital powers sink rapidly, there should 
be as little delay as possible in administering stimulants. I have 
found the following mixture possessing stimulant, diuretic, and 
diaphoretic properties, very efficacious: 

Carbonate of ammonia .............. f oz. 

Sweet spirit of niter ) , ., , 

a . ., £ • , . V each l£ oz. 

Spirit oi mindereris j 

Cold water 9 oz. 

Mix. 

This dose, from the commencement of treatment, is adminis- 
tered thrice a day during the entire course of the disease. When 
prostration is great, it is sometimes needful to give it from the 
commencement, and to combine it with any other medicine that 
may be given. In such cases, the doses may be reduced one-third. 
When convalescence is full}'' established, a simple tonic hastens 
recovery. I find none so good and safe as chinchona bark. The 
best quality only should be used, and given in doses of one ounce 
and a half of the powder. This tonic, in the early period of con- 
valescence, is combined with the stimulant, and at a later period 
with a quart of good, sweet ale, given once daily. It is best ad- 
ministered at night. Two table-spoonfuls of laudanum may be 
added at any time to any other medicine which the animal is get- 
ting, or given in the food when it becomes requisite to control ex- 
cessive diarrhea, or obviate straining. With this exception, there 
are at present no other drugs employed. 

Diet. — It should be simple, and, until decided convalescence, 



296 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

•well cooked, and given in small and regulated quantity. I use 
the following full mash. It is composed of, 

Bran „ 4 handfuls. 

Brewer's draff 4 handfuls, 

Peasemeal ................... 1 pound. 

Mashed turnips (well boiled) ... 2 pounds. 

Not too thick, and given night and morning. At midday a 
drink of gruel is given, made with two pounds of oatmeal, well 
boiled in six quarts of water. In addition to these, some raw tur- 
nip (two pounds, for example, of greentops), and one pound of 
hay, may be allowed in small quantities during the twenty-four 
hours. To allay thirst, three to four quarts of water, previously 
boiled and allowed to cool, is given in mouthful s during the day. 
This constitutes the fall diet of a decided convalescent. Half of 
this diet is, in most instances, during the acute course of the dis- 
ease, too much. In all cases, the same kind of food and periods 
of giving it are followed. There are some animals that, for a 
time, refuse all food, not excepting gruel. In such cases the gruel 
is administered by the bottle, thrice daily, along with or after the 
medicine. The animal should get a little mash so soon as it takes 
it voluntarily. It is often expedient to miss a meal, especially 
whenever symptoms of an unfavorable indication appear. These 
are not of unfrequent occurrence during the course of treatment. 
Grass is given, and the quantity of hay and turnip increased as 
there is progress toward more perfect recovery. 

Symptoms of Convalescence. — The more obvious indications are, 
1. Recovery of appetite; 2. Greater animation; 3. Return of 
breathing and pulse to their normal condition; 4. Increase of 
milk ; 5. Chewing the cud. The seventh, fourteenth, and twenty- 
first days are critical periods in the progress of the disease. 

Summary of Treatment. — 1. The animal is at once taken from 
its ordinary food and separated from the rest. 2. Placed in a 
well-aired byre, or house, free from draughts, and the temper- 
ature of which is maintained at 70° or 75° Fahrenheit. 3. It is 
to be well rubbed down, and thoroughly cleaned, and covered 
with a good rug. 4. If there be constipation, begin with laxative, 
and continue night and morning, or, if required, oftener, until 
there is free scouring. 5. Let there be no delay in giving the 
stimulant, and, if needful, combine it with the laxative. 6. Defer 
giving ale and bark until convalescence appears. 7. To obviate 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 297 

straining or excessive purging, two table-spoonfuls of laudanum, 
night and morning, may be added to other medicine. 8. Be care- 
ful to avoid overfeeding, as an error in diet may prove fatal. 9. 
See that the cow is well milked, night and morning, (even when 
there is no yield,) during the course of the disease. 10. All the 
droppings should be at once disinfected by solution of chloride 
of lime, and quickly removed. 11. The affected animals should 
be frequently and closely observed, and threatening indications 
treated as they occur." 

The Edinburgh Committee on the Cattle Plague, having been 
authorized by the Royal Cattle Plague Commission to make obser- 
vations and experiments in reference to the prevention and treat- 
ment of the disease, considered it desirable, in addition to the 
experiments on treatment which they proposed to institute them- 
selves, to obtain a record of observations and experiments made 
by as large a number as possible of qualified '-veterinary prac- 
titioners throughout the country. With this view, they drew up 
the following suggestions for methods of treatment of various 
kinds, prophylactic and curative, which they were anxious should 
be tested on an extensive scale : 

" The Committee, before specifying the various methods of treat- 
ment in detail, would premise a few general remarks, which they 
consider to be applicable to all cases. 

First, as to General Sanitary Measures, Disinfection, etc. — The 
Committee content themselves with referring for full information 
on these matters to the ' Supplement of the Report of the Royal 
Cattle Plague Commission/ which is in *the hands of all veteri- 
nary inspectors. 

Secondly, as to Food. — The Committee deem it desirable to 
state it as their opinion that, as a general rule, at all stages of the 
disease, and whatever treatment is used, food should not be pressed 
on the affected animal. They believe that too much, even of the 
softest food, is hurtful, the powers of digestion being so greatly 
impaired by the disease. During the earlier stages, they believe 
that the safest articles of diet are oatmeal gruel, barleymeal gruel, 
with linseed tea, hay tea, or bran tea, and that little, if any, ad- 
dition to these is needed. During convalescence it is also very 
necessary that the food should be both sparing and of easy diges- 
tion. The same diet as during the earlier stages may be con- 
tinued, with the addition of mashes of well-boiled turnips or 



298 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

carrots, but in moderate quantity. When rumination commences 
to be reestablished, a handful of sound hay, damped with salt and 
water, may then be given in addition. 

Thirdly, as to the Maintenance of the Heat of the Animal. — 
The tendency to chill of the surface is a marked feature of the 
disease, and it is very essential that the animal should be guarded 
against cold. The byre should be kept heated up to a temper- 
ature of sixty-five degrees. The animal should be thoroughly 
rubbed down from time to time, and be kept covered with an 
ample, clean rug, fastened on with a roller, or band of any kind. 

Fourthly, as to the State of the Boivels. — In the early stages 
they are apt to be constipated. To remove this condition mild 
laxatives may be required, but strong purgatives of all kinds are 
both unnecessary and unsafe. The best laxatives are either raw 
linseed oil, in the dose of a chopin-bottleful (an English quart), 
or from two to three ounces of flowers of sulphur, mixed up with 
two pounds by weight of treacle and two chopin-bottlefuls of 
water. These doses may be repeated cautiously, according to cir- 
cumstances. Sometimes even in the early stages, but more fre- 
quently when the disease has continued for some days, diarrhea 
or scouring is apt to come on, and to prove irritating and ex- 
hausting to the animal. The simplest and best treatment for this 
symptom is one ounce of laudanum, mixed with a chopin-bottleful 
of lime-water, repeated twice or even thrice a day if necessary. 

Having thus premised these general recommendations, the Com- 
mittee proceed to state, in detail, particular methods of treatment, 
classified under the heads of 

' A. Diaphoretic and Stimulant Treatment. 

B. Acid Treatment. 

C. Restorative Treatment without Drugs. 

D. Prophylactic Treatment. 

A. Diaphoretic and Stimulant. — The Committee are anxious to 
give a full trial to the method of exciting sweating by means of the 
vapor bath. The method of using this agent is as follows : The 
animal is to be placed in a stall inclosed on all sides, the height 
of the inclosure being a few inches more than that of the animal. 
Over the top of the box or inclosure thus formed is thrown a 
tarpaulin, which should cover it completely, with the exception 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 299 

that an opening is left in it sufficient for the animal's head to pass 
through. There is then to. be placed on the floor of the inclosure, 
under the animal, a tub containing boiling water, to the depth of 
half a foot. A continuous evolution of steam is to be maintained 
for half an hour by means of red-hot bricks thrown into the tub 
one after another. Under the use of this steam bath, if properly 
managed, the animal may be expected to become warm and to 
perspire profusely. After each vapor bath the animal should be 
washed with tepid water containing McDougall's disinfecting soap, 
taking care to dry it wel^ after the washing. It should then be 
covered with an ample rug, kept, as already stated, closely applied 
to its body by means of a roller, or band of any kind. The bath 
may be repeated either on the same day or following days, accord- 
ing to circumstances. During and after the bath the animal should 
be allowed a draught of cold water, which helps to promote per- 
spiration. The objects chiefly aimed at by the use of the vapor 
bath are to promote the circulation at the surface, to relieve the 
congestion of the mucous membranes, and to eliminate the poison 
from the system. Combined with the vapor bath may be used 
various other remedies not incompatible with it, but calculated to 
aid its action. 

Several of these remedies the Committee now proceed to men- 
tion, it being, however, understood that only one of them is to be 
used along with the bath in each case where the experiment is 
made; they are not to be used together in the same case. 1. Oil 
of turpentine. This may be administered in doses of four table- 
spoonfuls, well shaken up with a chopin-bottleful of gruel, and 
may be given twice a day. This remedy may be expected to act 
beneficially by its powers of stimulating and of exciting perspira- 
tion. It may probably, also, in most cases where it is used, super- 
sede the necessity for giving any laxative medicine. 2. Infusion 
of coffee. The method of preparing this remedy is by infusing 
two ounces of ground roasted coffee, for a quarter of an hour, in 
a chojrin-bottleful of boiling water. It must, of course, be allowed 
to cool somewhat before being administered, and may be given in 
the above quantity every six hours. In addition to its stimulant 
and nutritive qualities, the coffee may act beneficially in conse- 
quence of the empyreumatic oil and caseine which it contains. 
3. Carbonate of ammonia. This medicine, which has been found 
in many cases to act beneficially as a powerful diffusible stimulant 3 



300 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

may be administered three times a day, in doses of half an ounce, 
either alone or preferably combined with three drachms of niter, 
dissolved in a chopin-bottleful of gruel. 

B. Acid Treatment. — This treatment is suggested in consequence 
of the alkaline state of the secretions which is found to exist uni- 
formly in the cattle plague. 1. Diluted muriatic acid is said to 
have been successful in Holland. It may be given twice a day, 
in doses of three drachms, mixed with a chopin-bottleful of gruel. 
2. Vinegar. This may be used in doses of two ounces, mixed with 
a chopin-bottleful of gruel, and may be given four times a day. 

C. Restorative Treatment without Drugs. — This consists in car- 
rying out in full the sanitary instructions of the Royal Cattle 
Plague Commission: in regulating the diet according to the in- 
structions already given, in keeping the animal warm, and in 
administering two chopin-bottlefuls of good Scotch sweet ale three 
or four times a day. It is desirable that this system should be 
carried out in a certain proportion of cases, all drugs being rigidly 
abstained from. 

D. Prophylactic Treatment. — The Committee would further de- 
sire to draw attention to the importance of experiments being made 
as to the efficacy of prophylactic (protective) treatment, either in 
preventing the development of the disease or modifying the in- 
tensity of the symptoms when the disease becomes developed iii 
animals which have been exposed to the infection. In such cases, 
of course, all the sanitary measures of the Cattle Plague Commis- 
sion should be strictly carried out. There may also be given, at 
the earliest possible period, prophylactic drugs, of which those 
most deserving of trial seem to be, 1. Sulphite of soda, given 
morning and evening, in doses of one ounce, dissolved in a bucket- 
ful of water. 2. McDougalPs solution, of which a wine-glassful 
m a bucketful of water may be given twice a day. 3. A mixture 
of half an ounce of sulphite of soda and two table-spoonfuls of 
McDougalPs solution, in a bucketful of water, may be given twice 
a day. 

Prevention of the Cattle Plague. — There is but one rational and 
sufficient system whereby the Russian plague can be kept in check. 
That is by preventing direct or indirect contact between animals 
affected with the disease and those that are sound. All else is 
valueless. This is clearly established if we consider how and why 
we are losing the horned stock of Great Britain. 



THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 301 

We should have prohibited direct importation from Russia. 

We should have established foreign stock-markets and slaughter- 
houses. 

We should not have trusted to the insufficient system of inspec- 
tion at our ports and markets. 

The disease should have been recognized earlier. 

We should have killed the diseased and infected animals with 
the greatest determination from the very first. 

The Government should have acted promptly, without trusting 
to the tardy development of public opinion and the hesitating 
action of country magistrates, mayors, and others intrusted with 
authority. 

Greater reliance should have been placed in veterinary surgeons, 
who, knowing the disease and the desperate measures it required, 
could have saved the lives of thousands of valuable animals. 

I did my best on the 29th and 31st of July, 1865, to rouse the 
Government to a true sense of our position. I then advocated the 
formation of a national association for the prevention of cattle dis- 
eases, of a national insurance fund, and created some astonishment 
when I said, on the 1st of August, that "the present calamity will 
not fall on a class, as in the case of the cotton famine. It must 
affect the nation throughout its length and breadth. It is too late 
now to avert such a result, and, with a view to enable us to cope 
with very extraordinary difficulties, there must be a general and 
extraordinary cooperation among the people." I afterward advo- 
cated the continental system, and said, " I quite agree with the 
Austrian veterinarians, that to cure is, in this case, to kill, because 
so long as sick and convalescent animals are kept about, the dan- 
ger of propagating the malady is enormous. Kill by all means; 
and if you can compensate, kill all that have been near a contami- 
nated animal." 



SECTION XVII. 
DISEASES OF SHEEP. 

Improvement in Sheep — Rot, or Hydatids in the Liver — Yellows — Vertigo, 
or Giddiness — Jackets or Blankets for Sheep — Foot-rot — Grubs in the 
Nostrils — Ticks — Inflammation of the Eye — Inflammation of the Lungs- 
Common Catarrh — Diarrhea and Dysentery — Constipation of the Bow- 
els — Tympanites, or Windy Distension of the Intestines and Abdomen. 



Improvement in Sheep. 

NO country in the world is better calculated for raising sheep 
than the United States. The diversity of climate,- together 
with the abundance and variety of the products of the soil, united 
with the industry and perseverance of agriculturists, render this 
country highly favorable for the breeding, maturing, and improving 
the different varieties of sheep. The American people, as a nation, 
are stronger intellectually than any other on the face of God's earth ; 
consequently they are all-powerful, " for the mind is mightier than 
the sword." Should this intelligent nation of husbandmen direct 
their whole attention to the improvement of sheep, then in a few 
years America shall outshine her more favored European rivals, 
and her husbandmen shall feel proud of their improved stock. 
What the American people have accomplished during the past 
half century, in the arts and sciences, cultivation of the ?oil, etc., 
is an earnest of what they can do in improving the constitution 
and condition of live stock, provided they take hold of the subject 
in good earnest. Let any one who is acquainted with the subject 
of degeneration, its causes and fatal results, not only in reference 
to the stock itself, but as regards the pocket of the breeder, care- 
fully investigate the subject, and it will be perceived that there 
still exists a fine field for improvement. Much has already been 
accomplished in improving the different breeds in America, and 
(302) 



DISEASES OF SHEEP. 303 

our farmers deserve great credit for their praiseworthy efforts in 
endeavoring to raise fine stock, and I presume their labors have 
proved remunerative. 

In order to show what a whole community of stock-raisers can 
accomplish, in view of improvement, when they have an eye single 
to the object, I here introduce some of the results attending such 
an enterprise, conducted by a single individual — Me. Bake well. 

" His breeding animals were, in the first place, selected from 
different breeds. These he crossed with the best to be had. After 
the cross had been carried to the desired point, he confined his se- 
lections to his own herds or flocks. He formed in his mind a 
standard of perfection for each kind of animals, and to this he 
constantly endeavored to bring them. That he was eminently 
successful in the attainment of his object can not be denied. He 
began his farming operations about 1750. In 1760 his rams did 
not sell for more than two or three guineas per head. From this 
time he gradually advanced in terms, and in 1760 he let some for 
twenty-five guineas a head for the season. Marshall states that, 
in 1786, Bakewell let two-thirds of a ram (reserving a third for 
himself) to two breeders for a hundred guineas each, the entire 
services of the ram being rated at three hundred guineas for the 
season. It is also stated that he made that year, by letting rams, 
more than one thousand pounds. In 1789 he made twelve hun- 
dred guineas by three ' ram brothers/ and two thousand guineas 
from seven, and, from his whole letting, full three thousand guineas. 
Six or seven other breeders made from five hundred guineas to a 
thousand each by the same operation. The whole amount of ram- 
letting of Bakewell's breed is said to have been not less that year 
than ten thousand pounds (forty-eight thousand dollars). 

It is true that still more extraordinary prices were obtained for 
the use of rams of this breed after Mr. Bakewell's death. Pitt, in 
his ' Survey of Leicestershire/ mentions that, in 1795, Mr. Astley 
gave three hundred guineas for the use of a ram of this breed, en- 
gaging, at the same time, that he should serve gratis twenty ewes 
owned by the man of whom the ram was hired, making for the en- 
tire use of the ram that season four hundred and twenty guineas. 
In 1796 Mr. Astley gave for the use of the same ram three hundred 
guineas, and took forty ewes to be served gratis. At the price 
charged for the service of the ram to each ewe, the whole value for 
the season was five hundred guineas. He served one hundred ewes. 



30-1 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

In 1797 the same ram was let to another person at three hundred 
guineas, and twenty ewes sent with him, the serving of which was 
reckoned at a hundred guineas, and the ram was restricted to sixty 
more, which brought his value for the season to four hundred 
guineas. Thus the ram made, in three seasons, the enormous sum 
of thirteen hundred guineas. 

We have nothing to do, at present, with the question whether 
the value of these animals was not exaggerated. The actual su- 
periority of the breed over the stock of the country must have 
been obvious, and this point we wish kept in mind. This breed 
of sheep is continued to the present day, and it has been remarked, 
by a respected writer, that they will ' remain a lasting monument 
of Bake well's skill.' As to their origin, the testimony shows them 
to have been of mixed breed, though no breed is more distinct in 
its characters, or transmits its qualities with more certainty ; and 
if we were without any other example of successful crossing, the 
advocates of the system might still point triumphantly to the 
Leicester or Bakewell sheep. 

But what are the opinions of our best modern breeders in regard 
to the practicability of producing distinct breeds by crossing? 
Robert Smith, of Burley, Rutlandshire, an eminent sheep-breeder, 
in an essay on the ( Breeding and Management of Sheep,' for which 
he received a prize from the Royal Agricultural Society, (1847,) 
makes the following remarks: 'The crossing of pure breeds has 
been a subject of great interest among every class of breeders. 
While all agree that the first cross may be attended with good 
results, there exists a diversity of opinion upon the future move- 
ments, or putting the crosses together. Having tried experiments 
(and I am now pursuing them for confirmation) in every way pos- 
sible, I do not hesitate to express my opinion that, by proper and 
judicious crossing through many generations, a most valuable 
breed of sheep may be raised and established ; in support of which 
I may mention the career of the celebrated Bakewell, who raised 
a new variety from other long-wooled breeds, by dint of persever- 
ance and propagation, and which have subsequently corrected all 
other long-wooled breeds.' " 



diseases of sheep. 305 

Rot, or Hydatids in the Liver. 

This parasite, which affects the liver of sheep, is known as the 
fluke, (fasciola hepaticum,) and is usually found in the biliary- 
ducts. Rot, in its advanced stage, is a disease of a very formida- 
ble character, and its associations closely resemble dropsy. A 
serous fluid accumulates beneath the skin, hence some people call 
it the water rot. 

Causes. — Wet pastures, and exposure to storms and changes of 
weather, with innutritious diet, are the exciting causes of this 
malady. 

Treatment. — If flukes are present, it is evident that, in order to 
strike at the root of the malady, we must get rid of them, which 
can only be effected by bringing about a healthy condition of the 
system. Nothing that can be done by the application of medicine 
will act on them to affect their vitality. It is only by strengthen- 
ing the animal powers that we are enabled to give sufficient tone to 
the system to throw off the flukes. For that purpose many advocate 
salt. Salt is an excellent stimulative to the digestive organs, and 
may also be of service in restoring the biliary secretion, from the 
soda which it contains. So well is its stimulative action known, 
that some individuals always keep salt in the troughs containing 
animals' food. That this is a preventive they have good proof, 
seeing that it matters not how much the soil might be in salt 
marshes, no sheep are ever attacked by rot in them, while those 
sent there infected very often come back free. Salt, therefore, 
must not be neglected. But then comes the question, can they 
not do something more? I believe they can. They must throw 
tonics into the system, especially those that are obtained in the 
mineral kingdom. I should prefer the sulphate of iron (iron is 
found in animal matter). It is one of the constituents of the 
blood, and, used in the form of sulphate, it gives a greater tone 
and energy to the frame than in any other form. Its use, there- 
fore, ought never to be neglected in the earlier stages of the dis- 
ease. I have already alluded to the fact that, when the liver does 
not perform its functions, a greater effort is made by the kidneys 
to depurate the blood. The kidneys should, therefore, be stimu- 
lated. But I must not be supposed to advise the exhibition of 
diuretics, which would induce debility, but of medicines, which 
would give strength to the frame, and, at the same time, act on, 
20 



306 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGER1. 

the kidneys, for which purpose nitric ether is an agent which 
ought to be employed. The principles I wish to lay down are, 
to husband the animals' powers by placing them in a situation 
where they shall not be exposed to the debilitating effects of cold 
storms; to supply them with nutritious food, and such as contains 
but a small quantity of water; and to mix salt with the water; 
and likewise to administer sulphate of iron, and occasional dosea 
of nitric ether.* 

Yellows. 

This term is used by shepherds to designate disease of the liver. 

Symptoms. — The affected animal has a peculiar languid appear- 
ance, frequently shaking the head, as if parasites were in the nos- 
trils ; the head is pressed against any elevated ground, sometimes 
against the fence or a post; the animal moves lazily along, with 
its nose almost touching the ground ; the membranes of the eyes 
and nose have a yellow tinge ; the same is true of the skin ; a 
marked yellowness is observed on the insides of the thighs and 
anus. As the disease advances these morbid appearances are aug- 
mented. The patient grates its teeth ; stands with the head pendu- 
lous, almost touching the ground ; then soon falls, and dies without 
a struggle. 

The autopsy reveals the following: The liver has a mottled ap- 
pearance, and its structure is easily broken down ; the gall-blad- 
der is usually full of dark-colored, tarry-looking bile ; kidneys, 
stomach, and intestines, tolerably healthy. Should any urine be 
found in the bladder, it will be of a dark color. The heart is pale 
and flabby ; the lungs, healthy, yet the chest usually contains a 
quart or more of dark-colored serum. On removing the skin, 
the surface of the body is yellow (jaundiced). 

Treatment. — Remove the diseased animals from the flock and 
put them in a dry shed. Then prepare the following : 

Fluid extract of leptandra (Culver's 

root). 1 pound. 

Powdered hyposulphite of soda 6 oz. 

Water 1 quart. 

Dissolve the soda in the water, then add the leptandrin. Dose, 
one ounce (fluid) twice daily. Let the affected animals have salt ; 
grass should also be cut and placed before them. 

* Professor Simonds. 



DISEASES OF SHEEP 807 

Vertigo, or Giddiness. 

Vertigo, or giddiness, is a disease of the nervous system, occa- 
sioned, most frequently, by a parasite located in the brain. The 
parasite is named csenarus cerebralis, and belongs to the species 
known as hydatids. Lambs from the age of two months, or from 
four to twelve months, are, when predisposed, apt to become the 
subjects of it. The disease is very apt to end in organic disease 
of the brain and spinal marrow. 

The disease is of hereditary origin, and comes from faults or 
defects in one or both parents, and also from the too early prac- 
tice of breeding, which often obtains in some sections of country. 
In order to guard against the disease, we must put out of the breed 
ing-fold both males and females that have shown any signs of tho 
disorder, and not breed from the ewes under the age of thirty 
months, nor from rams until they have attained their second year. 

Treatment. — In the treatment of the disease, our object is to give 
tone to the system, and saturate the blood with some agent (sul- 
phur) which is known to be obnoxious to parasites in general. 
Take of 

Sulphur 1 pound. 

Powdered sulphate of iron. ...... 6 oz. 

Powdered poplar bark. . 1 pound. 

Let this be thoroughly mixed, place it in a stoppered bottle, and 
keep it in a dark place. Mix a table-spoonful daily in bran, and 
place it in the feed-trough, or mix it in a table-spoonful of syrup, 
and administer it by means of an iron spoon. 

Some persons contend that turnips, when fed to sheep, are apt 
to produce hydatids. On this subject, and on that of protecting 
sheep from the inclemencies of the weather, the following article is 
offered : 

Jackets, or Blankets for Sheep. 

A writer in a late number of the " London Agricultural Gazette " 
says : " We find, on examining our mortality tables for the last 
twelve months, that out of six hundred Cheviot and black-faced 
Evehogs, the number of deaths has been but sixteen. Be it re- 
membered, also, that, with the exception of about a score, none of 
these ever tasted a turnip, but fared with the ewes on the hill. 
Since we commenced the use of jackets, (small blankets,) we have 



o08 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

especially noticed an extraordinary diminution of the cases of 
'sturdy,' or water in the head. Hydatids in the brain are gen- 
erally understood to be induced by long-continued heavy rains, 
cold winds, and general privation. Any one conversant with 
sheep must have observed the wool along the back parts in such 
a way as fully to expose the skin. The connection between the 
spine and the brain is obvious, and it can not be wondered that 
hydatids (little sacs filled with water) should be formed in the 
brains of sheep much exposed to severe storms, without due shel- 
ter. Hence the advantage of covering their backs with some ma- 
terial which will protect them, in a great measure, from the chilling 
effects of wind and rain. The material used is woollen, the size 
being twenty-three inches by fifteen. We lately purchased some 
coarse blankets that made excellent covers, each jacket costing 
fourpence. The rams were put with the ewes on the 22d of No- 
vember, and we allow forty-five to each male." 

The above remarks, from a flockmaster of large experience, in 
reference to the cause of hydatids, or what we should call water in 
the brains of sheep, are interesting in a medical and physiological 
point of view. AVe know one breeder in Verniont who covers 
the back of each sheep with a half yard of common sheeting, 
painted, to shed rain. The practice is founded in reason, and is 
likely to extend, literally making cotton tributary to the produc- 
tion of wool. The growers of the former staple will not object if 
every sheep in the United States and Europe has a cotton "jacket;" 
for one that will answer every intention can be made cheaper of 
cotton than of wool. The comfort of domestic animals at the 
South is sadly and most expensively neglected. 

FOOT-ROT. 

Causes. — General debility, exposure in wet pastures, contagion, 
foul habit of body. 

Symptoms. — The animal is observed to limp in one or both of 
the fore or hind legs. Sometimes the whole four are affected. 
The parts are hot, tender, and swollen, and exude a fetid fluid. 
The animal is now incapable of walking, and, if not speedily re- 
lieved, death ensues. This form of rot is contagious, so that, if 
the diseased animals are not separated from the healthy, the latter 
soon become infected. To propagate malignant rot, it is quite 



DISEASES OF SHEEP. 309 

sufficient that a flock should pass over a place which has a little 
before been walked over by a diseased sheep. 

Treatment — Endeavor to ascertain the exciting cause, and, if 
possible, remove it. If the disease has assumed a putrid type, 
the superfluous horn may be removed. The parts are then 'o be 
washed with 

Pyroligneous acid .................. 4 oz. 

Water 3 oz. 

Mis. 

A piece of lint is afterward to be saturated with the above, and 
applied as a dressing, and changed as occasion may require. 

The local remedy will avail but little unless we sustain the 
living powers, and thus improve the secretions. Our usual rem- 
edies are, 

Powdered golden seal ............... 1 oz. 

Powdered sulphur ■ -| oz. 

Powdered charcoal. ................. 1 oz. 

Powdered sassafras ................. 1 oz. 

Powdered assafetida ................ 2 dr. 

Flaxseed 2 lbs. 

Mix, and give a table-spoonful twice a day in the food. : 
If I were writing exclusively for my medical brethren, I should 
recommend them to treat the disease according to its indications. 
The above agents will, however, generally prove efficacious, (even 
in the hands of the non-medical,) provided due attention be paid 
to the wants of the animal, and such additional assistance be ren- 
dered as common sense will suggest. Supposing a number of ani- 
mals to be affected, it would occup}^ too much time to treat them 
singly; hence I recommend that they be made to walk slowly, or 
linger for some time in a wooden trough, the floor of which may 
be covered, to the depth of one inch, with the following : 

Linseed oil 2 pt. 

Pyroligneous acid 4 pfc. 

Kerosene ......................... 1 pt. 

In the above proportions, the required quantity may be pre- 
pared. 

Grubs in the Nostrils. 

Grubs in the nostrils are occasioned by the gadfly, which de- 
posits her ova in the nostrils of sheep. After a short time the 
ova bring forth parasites in the larvaeal state ; the latter migrate 



310 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

within the interior of the nostrils, causing the sheep much pain 
and annoyance. When the larvae are capable of exercising an 
independent existence, they undergo the same evolution which 
obtains in the case of the bot parasite; namely, they burrow into 
the earth, and finally become metamorphosed into the gadfly. 

It seems that the gadfly selects its subjects, and the weakest 
and most unpromising of the flock are usually its victims ; hence 
close attention to the requirements and condition of a flock may, 
to a certain extent, act as a preventive. Some farmers, in view 
of preventing the attacks of the gadfly, smear the noses of their 
sheep with common tar. Others plow up a piece of land where 
sheep are pastured, into which they thrust their noses, and then, 
for the time being, they baffle the gadfly. I do not think it would 
be good policy to attempt, either by mechanical or medicinal means, 
to dislodge the parasites ; for the remedy might be worse than the 
disease. When the ova have arrived at maturity, the sheep them- 
selves aid in the dislodgrnent with acts of snorting, sneezing, and 
coughing. 

Ticks, 

These troublesome parasites may easily be got rid of by dip- 
ping the sheep in an infusion of tobacco. A compound tobaccc 
sheep-dip is now manufactured, and can be obtained at the drug 
stores, with full directions for use. 

Inflammation op the Eye. 

Inflammation of the eye is very readily detected by an aceU 
redness which pervades the lining membranes of the eyelids and 
that which affords a partial covering to the eyeball. The afflicted 
animal keeps the eyelids partly closed; an effusion of tears runs 
over the lower angle of the eye ; there is intolerance to light, and 
the animal appears to suffer considerable pain. 

Treatment. — Separate the patient from the flock, and bathe the 
eye occasionally with the following lotion : 

Sugar of milk 1 03. 

Fluid extract of hops 1 dr. 

Rain-water 6 oz. 

Mix. 

Should the disease run on to cataract, the sight can not be 
restored. 



DISEASES OF SHEEP. 311 



Inflammation of the Lungs. 

Inflammation of the lungs is usually the result of exposure ; or 
it may arise in consequence of herding too many sheep together ; 
sometimes it makes its appearance without any perceptible cause. 
An impure atmosphere, however, may be set down as the ordinary 
exciting cause of this malady. 

Treatment. — Place upon the tongue ten drops of fluid extract 
of gelseminum, morning and evening. Dissolve one ounce of 
chlorate of potass in half a pint of flaxseed tea, and give it daily 
as a drench until the animal improves. Let the patient be placed 
in a secluded spot, under cover, and if the case is curable, health 
will soon return. 

The most marked symptoms of pneumonia are panting and 
heaving at the flanks, quickened respiration, discharge from the 
nose, and cough. There is also a cessation of rumination. In 
^hort, the same symptoms prevail in this disease as in pneumonia 
of cattle. 

Common Catareh. 

This affection prevails most extensively among sheep that have 
been exposed to rains and unpleasant weather. The disease mani- 
fests itself in the form of a defluxion from the nostrils of a muco- 
serous discharge, accompanied by frequent sneezing, and occasional 
cough. As soon as the disease is discovered, the affected animals 
should be placed in comfortable quarters. Xhen prepare the 
following drench : 

Composition powder 2 oz. 

Boiling water 1 qt. 

Pour the boiling water on the powder; let the mixture stand 
in a warm place for an hour ; pour off the clear liquor, and add 
two ounces of sugar of milk. Dose : A wine-glassful once or twice 
daily. 

Malignant epizootic catarrh may be treated in the same man- 
ner, with the addition of one ounce of chlorate of potass per day, 
which can be dissolved in the above drench. 



312 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



Diarrhea and Dysentery. 

Curable eases of the above character are brought to a favorable 
termination by using the following drench : 

Finely pulverized animal charcoal.... 1 oz. 

Scalded cow's milk 1 gill. 

Hyposulphite of soda. 1 dr. 

Mix. 

The above constitutes a dose. It may be repeated as often as 
the emergency seems to require; but should the subject be a young 
lamb one-half the above quantity will suffice. 

Constipation op the Bowers. 

Constipation is almost always the result of a deranged condition 
of the digestive organs. A deranged, condition of the liver, for 
example, will result in costiveness, for which I recommend the 
following drench: 

Glauber salts 2 oz. 

Fluid extract of leptandra. ...... 1 tea-spoonful. 

Thin gruel \ pt. 

Dissolve the salts in the gruel, and drench the animal with the 
same. 

Tympanites, or Windy Distension op the Intestines 
and Abdomen. 

This disease is very easily recognized by the bloated appear- 
ance of the animal. It is occasioned by the food running into 
fermentation and generating gas. The following remedy is a sure 
cure for tympanites, administered as a drench : 

Hyposulphite of soda .......... 4 dr. 

Fluid extract of golden seal 1 dr. 

Fluid extract of ginger 2 dr. 

Water 1 wine-glassful. 



SECTION XVIII. 
DISEASES OF SWINE. 

Effects of Impure Air on Swine — Measles in Pork — Quinsy — Hernia, or 
E,upture— Intestinal Worms — Hog Cholera — Trichina Spinalis. 

The Treatment of the Diseases of Swine. 

THE nature of the most common diseases incidental to swine, 
and the treatment of the same, are subjects of great impor- 
tance to those engaged in raising this description of property, and 
it is very gratifying to know that farmers are anxious to obtain 
reliable information on such subjects. It is only of late years that 
any special attention has been given to swine pathology in this 
country, either by farmers or surgeons, and in former years the 
treatment of swine diseases was extremely barbarous, and consisted 
of little else than of splitting their ears, cutting off their tails, and 
dosing them with poisons. Such treatment must have been any 
thing but pleasant to the poor brutes, and very unsatisfactory in 
its results. 

Swine, in certain periods in the history of the world, have been 
denominated "unclean creatures, of gross habits," etc. If they 
are unclean and of gross habits, their owners gave them their first 
lesson, and are more to blame than the animal. How can it be 
expected that they shall exhibit better habits while confined in 
miserable quarters and filthy localities, where they are often com- 
pelled to wallow knee-deep in mud and excrement, dragging out 
a woful existence in the midst of a perfect hot-bed of filth, often 
respiring an atmosphere concocted from the decomposition of 
rotten excrements within their pest-hole, or local habitation. And 
the food that such poor creatures are compelled to devour, what 
shall I say of that ? It is too beastly to describe, yet the cravings 

(313) 



814 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

of an appetite, not naturally morbid, induce the animal to convert 
his stomach into a living cess-pool. Some persons appear to have 
an idea that any system of management is good enough for hogs ; 
hence how can we expect that animals thus neglected and misused 
shall improve, either in habits or condition? Hence, if domes- 
ticated swine have lost their natural instincts, and acquired gross 
and filthy habits, the blame should fall where it belongs. Hus- 
bandmen know, from experience, that if young pigs are properly 
provided for and kept in comfortable quarters, and not too nu- 
merously herded, they will refuse to partake of the horrid garbage 
which their city cousins, occupying a down-cellar locality, are, 
from sheer necessity, compelled to devour, and they will exercise 
the same sagacity in the selection of nice morsels as tha wild ori- 
ginals have been known to manifest. 

The ancients were led to believe that " the use of swine's flesh 
was an abomination, and its touch pollution." This was, and 
is, a mere theory, unsustained by facts — the result of prejudice; 
ior the Egyptians, Jews, and Mohammedans, who considered the 
flesh of swine as the exciting cause of leprosy and tape-worms, 
were the greatest sufferers, yet they never touched pork. On 
perusing the records of the Jewish historians, we are informed 
that the strangers sojourning in the camp of the Egyptians, par- 
took freely of pork, yet no cases of scrofula nor leprosy appeared 
among them; yet the followers of Moses, who, from prejudice 
or antiquated religious custom, abstained from pork, were the 
greatest sufferers from the terrible diseases known as scrofula and 
leprosy. Pork is the principal article of food among the Ho 
mans, Greeks, Chinese, natives of the Archipelago Islands, and 
the negroes inhabiting the burning regions of Asia ; also the 
more refined and straight-haired inhabitants of Northern Asia 
partake freely of pork. 

The people of England consume an immense amount of pork, 
as do also the people of this country. Our soldiers in and out of 
camp, and when on the march, devour pork, both cooked and un- 
cooked, with impunity ; hence, if pork is really the cause of leprosy, 
scrofula, or tape-worm, we might expect to see many lepers in this 
country, and an equal number of unfortunate individuals infested 
with tape-worms ; but we all know that the converse is the case, 
and many American physicians inform me that leprosy and tape- 
worm are very rare afflictions in this country ; so that the uncom- 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 315 

plaining and much-abused creature that I am writing about, has 
been most awfully slandered and ill-used. 

I contend that the flesh of swine, when the animal has been 
judiciously fed, is nutritive, wholesome, and palatable, and in 
its excellency is considered a great delicacy. Like other sub- 
stantial food, however, it does not agree with some persons; but 
the fault is not in the pork, but in the stomach of the invalid, who 
should not taste that which disagrees with him. Still, it would 
appear to be in perfect harmony with retributive justice, if the 
diseases alluded to were the result of man's criminal neglect of a 
class of animals that should claim his care and protection. 

I have alluded to the condition of swine, such as are kept in 
cities. What shall I say of those which are kept and fed at the 
slaughter-houses in Chicago and at Cincinnati? We are all con- 
versant with the facts in the case ; they are too notorious to need 
repetition. I only urge those whojiave the power and will to 
inaugurate a reform where reforms are most needed. Credit is 
due, however, to our farmers, who pay much attention to the 
raising and welfare of swine. The errors I complain of are not 
so prevalent in the country as in our large cities. I contend that 
the hog does not thrive so well in the city as in the country. He 
was never cut out for a citizen ; he never chews tobacco, nor does 
he " smile." He is one of Nature's pets, and thrives best on roots' 
and fruit, in the universal sty. The city air does not vitalize his 
blood — does not agree with him. Down-cellar locations, and 
narrow, filthy pens, are abominations. They tend to toughen 
muscle and to tubercularize, often sending thousands of otherwise 
valuable animals into a galloping consumption, from which the 
knife of the butcher rescues them. 

Effects of Impure air on Swine. 

A great proportion of the diseases which afflict swine are, no 
doubt, caused by bad management, and the crowding of them 
together on a limited space, where they must necessarily breathe 
a highly-contaminated atmosphere. It is one of the chief causes 
of pulmonary apoplexy, and other pneumonic aifections which are 
so notoriously prevalent. I have often seen a lot of swine disem- 
barked from the cars the subjects of congestion of the lungs, the 
external surface of the bodies of some being as blue as indigo, (quite 



316 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

livid;,) showing very conclusively that their blood was highly 
charged with carbon ; that either for want of pure air, or from 
temporary incapacity of the lungs, in consequence of crowding too 
many animals together, the lungs failed to oxygenize the blood, 
and thus they suffered. Swine require pure fresh air as much as 
we do for the vitalization of their blood, and can no more live 
without it than did the unfortunate individuals that perished in 
the Black Hole of Calcutta. Under such circumstances, whether 
the animals be confined in close cars or in filthy pens, it makes 
but little difference — they are liable to become diseased ; and it 
often happens that when certain forms of disease are engendered 
spontaneously in this way, other animals exposed to the infection 
are attacked, and thus we have an epizootic, which is sure to com- 
mit sad havoc ere it dies out or can be arrested. It is probable 
that bad air, inferior diet, and crowding animals into filthy loca- 
tions have more to do with the production of the so-called " hog 
cholera" and the well-known pleuro-pneumonia than some persona 
are apt to realize. If this be true, and I think it is, then our hus- 
bandmen must see the necessity of paying great attention to the 
hygienic management of swine. The latter are generally the most 
neglected and despised of all our domestic animals, except when 
they are of aristocratic breed, and owned by amateurs of means, 
or when they are designed for " home-fed pork." Now, if it pays 
the amateur and lover of " home-fed " to give the animal that at- 
tention and care which he not only requires, but is entitled to, then 
a similar course of practice must increase the gains of those who 
raise their animals for the market. 

Pure air, good food, plenty of space, and comfortable quarters 
are the best preventives of disease that I know of. Much better are 
they than all the drugs in the country ; and when the animal be- 
comes sick, without proper attention to hygiene, medicine is not 
worth a straw. It is well-known to the scientific farmer that 
when swine are crammed on a limited portion of land whence 
they derive their food, without regard to the laws which' govern 
the distribution of living beings throughout creation, disease and 
death run riot, and the bodies of such animals are almost sure to 
be infested with various kinds of parasites. 

The same facts have been observed in regard to sheep, when 
they are crowded and the land overstocked. It is the forerunner 
of parasitic disease. An English writer, having considerable ex- 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 317 

perience in the matter, contends that it is the crowding of sheep 
on the low lands which has engendered " rot " and " scab/' and 
which causes thousands to die, with the respiratory organs filled 
with strongyli, or the intestines with tape-worms. The Australian 
farmers can testify to the ravages of the tape- worm in sheep as the 
result of crowding land to an unnatural extent. On our vast prai- 
ries, however, there may be no danger of overcrowding, yet it is 
right that we should be conversant with the danger, in order to 
avoid it in the future. 

Majendie, the celebrated French physician, contends that 
very many grave and fatal diseases are introduced into the system 
through the respiratory organs : " And although we with difficulty 
arrive at any certain knowledge of the miasms rising in marshy 
grounds from the decomposition of putrid vegetable and animal 
substances, there can be no doubt whatever of their entering into 
the blood through the medium of the air, and so producing many 
fatal diseases. In some countries, epidemic affections especially 
rage with extreme intensity. In hot, humid climates, and espe- 
cially on the sea-coast and borders of certain rivers, as, for instance, 
the Gulf of Mexico, Vera Cruz, New Orleans, etc. Such causes 
admit of demonstration, since, by introduction of them into the 
blood experimentally, may be produced, though not exactly yellow 
fever, symptoms bearing the greatest resemblance to it, with black 
vomit and speedy death. Lower Egypt, where the plague for- 
merly prevailed so alarmingly, owing to such causes, has been 
rendered comparatively rare by the improved condition of the 
country." 

Measles in Poek. 

Measles in the hog is identical with tape-worm in man. It has 
been discovered that the hydatids of the hog, known as measles, 
(named in the zoological system cysticercus cellulosa,) have exactly 
the same head as the common tape-worm of man (ttenia solium). 
Many experiments have, from time to time, been made, setting the 
matter beyond a doubt. Kuckenmeistee, who wished to make 
sure of the fact, made the experiment upon a criminal who was 
soon to be executed, and, as was to be expected, with perfect suc- 
cess. Measles taken from fresh pork, and put into sausages which 
the criminal ate raw, at certain intervals, before his death, were 
found again, in the post mortem examination, as tape- worms in 



318 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

his intestines, and in different stages of development, according to 
the intervals in which the measles had been taken. Thus it was 
discovered that all measles in swine are tape-worm larva?, which, 
when swallowed with a portion of the animal in whieh they live 
by another animal, develop the tape-worm. In zoology tape- 
worms are named cestoidea. About two hundred different species 
are described by naturalists, which vary much in size, the smallest 
being barely visible to the naked eye, while the largest will some- 
times measure one hundred feet in length. 

Different species of animals are infested with different species 
of tape-worms. They are found in the intestines of the horse, ass, 
sheep, goat, dog, deer, antelope, rat, mouse, and many other ani- 
mals and insects. All tape-worms are hermaphrodites ; the sexes 
are not only united in the whole of the tape- worm, but each joint 
of the compound parasite for itself has its own independent male 
and female sexual organs, testicles, and ovaries. 

Treatment. — Put into the food of each hog, daily, two drachms 
of powdered sulphur, half an ounce of powdered poplar bark, and 
half a table-spoonful of fine salt. The best method of preventing 
measles in swine is to keep their lodging-places perfectly clean 
and dry, and to allow them pure air and exercise. Their food 
should be of a very nutritious quality. Swine may be suspected 
to have measles when they do not fatten nor thrive well. 

Quinsy. 

This is a very common disease among swine, and affects the 
lining membrane of the respiratory passages, which become in- 
flamed and tumefied. This condition occasions great difficulty in 
swallowing either fluids or solids, and the respiration is much 
embarrassed; the neck appears to be stiff, and the nose is pro- 
truded. A distressing cough is usually present ; the animal froths 
at the mouth as if he were choking ; the glands in the region of 
the throat are enlarged, and this adds to the difficulty in breathing. 

Treatment. — A mild case of quinsy, unaccompanied with tume- 
faction of the throat or the thyroid glands, may be cured by 
transferring the animal to a warm pen where he can burrow in 
clean straw. Let him have a mess of thin gruel three times daily, 
into which stir half an ounce of powdered chlorate of potass. It 
is not safe to drench an animal the subject of quinsy, for he may 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 319 

choke to death ; therefore, if possible, the medicine must be incor- 
porated with the food. In bad cases the throat must be lubricated 
with cod-liver oil occasionally. Should the bowels be constipated, 
a few ounces of Epsom salts or a couple of ounces of castor-oil are 
indicated ; whereas a looseness or temporary diarrhea must be 
held in check by means of pulverized anthracite coal, or else by 
means of animal charcoal. These ingredients should be mixed in 
scalded milk, and placed in a clean trough. It is very evident, 
however, that, in the absence of pure air, comfortable quarters, 
and good nursing, medicine will have but little if any effect. 

Quinsy mostly owes its origin to exposure, fatigue in travel- 
ing long distances, and to bad accommodations ; therefore proper 
attention to the wants and comfort of these animals will act as 
the best of preventives. 

The wretched condition in which some of these animals are 
compelled to exist, and the vile garbage which is often fed to them, 
is the exciting cause of most of their maladies ; therefore such mat- 
ters should command the attention of husbandmen. 



Hernia, or Ktjpture. 

Pigs are very frequently born in a ruptured condition. The 
disease is then called congenital, and scrotal when within the. 
scrotum. The disease consists of adhesion of a protruded portion 
of intestine to the testicle after its descent into the scrotum. This 
adhesion often takes place while the testicle is yet in the abdomen. 
On the descent of the testicle into the scrotum the intestine de- 
scends with it. 

Treatment. — Secure the limbs, or engage some persons to hold 
them; then place the animal on a bench, and cut carefully over 
the region of the enlargement until the testicle is exposed. Care- 
fully dissect the intestine from the testicle ; remove the testicle in 
the usual way ; then return the intestine within the abdomen. 
Should the intestine be so large that it seems impossible to return 
it, then enlarge the opening by means of a probe-pointed knife; 
then raise the hind-quarters of the pig, and the bowel will return 
into the abdominal cavity, after which take a couple of stitches 
through the skin and superficial tissues, and the operation is fin- 
ished. In a few days the stitches may be cut away; there is no 
need of any dressing. 



820 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



Intestinal, Worms. 

When swine are infested with intestinal parasites they gener- 
ally become unthrifty — will not fatten, yet have' a voracious ap- 
petite, and will devour greedily every thing that is placed before 
them. 

Treatment. — For solitary cases give the animal an occasional 
dose of the following : 

Castor-oil 2 oz. 

Oil of wormseed 1 dr. 

Mix. 

When a large number of animals are infested with intestinal 
parasites, prepare the following : 

Pulverized anthracite coal 2 lbs. 

Powdered poplar bark 1 lb. 

Powdered sulphur h lb. 

Powdered salt 4 oz. 

Mix. 

Give a table-spoonful with the food twice daily, until the animal 
takes on a more thrifty condition. 

Inflammation of the Ltjngs (Pneumonia). 

Inflammation of the lungs, or what may very properly be 
termed apoplexy of the same, is a very fatal malady in swine, and 
runs its course to a fatal termination very rapidly. 

Symptoms. — The early symptoms are accelerated and laborious 
respiration, shivering fits, cough, loss of appetite, and rapid wast- 
ing of fat and flesh. 

Treatment. — Dissolve half an ounce of nitrate of potass in about 
a quart of thin gruel and set it before the patient ; if he refuse to 
drink it, then a drench of the same must be given. In the mean 
time place on the tongue ten drops (three times daily) of fluid 
extract of gelseminum until the febrile symptoms have subsided ; 
then give every morning half an ounce of hyposulphite of soda 
until the animal is convalescent. Bleeding and purging, as re- 
commended in ancient works, is sure death to the animal. 



DISEASES OF SWINE. '321 



Hog Cholera. 

The disease to which the name of " hog cholera " has been gen- 
erally but improperly applied, has prevailed more extensively in 
this country than most persons are aware of. The first appear- 
ance of the disease, of which I have been able to find any notice, 
was in Indiana, in the summer of 1856. It has continued, to a 
greater or less extent, since that time in our Western and Southern 
States, in nearly all of which it has, at some period, attained the 
character of a wide-spread and fatal epidemic. Its victims in 
those States are numbered by hundreds of thousands, if not by 
millions. During the last five years this disease has been seen, 
from time to time, in portions of the more eastern States, some- 
times, as in "Western New York in 1856, proving quite severe and 
fatal in comparatively limited localities ; but in the Eastern States 
it has, to a great extent, originated with and has generally been 
confined to, hogs imported from the West. I think that in no 
State east of Ohio has the disease prevailed extensively, or -attained 
the character of a wide-spread epidemic. In the vicinity of Provi- 
dence, Rhode Island, it has prevailed to some extent, more par- 
ticularly among large herds of swine, during each of the last five 
winters, but has been mostly confined to hogs brought from the 
West, and has usually disappeared with the approach of warm 
weather. During the last winter it was more severe than in any 
preceding, and was not confined to Western hogs. Neither did 
the disease, as heretofore, cease with the cold weather, but it con- 
tinued until August, having destroyed more than five hundred 
hogs in Providence and in the adjoining towns during the first 
seven months of the year 1861. I have also heard of its preva- 
lence in various towns in Massachusetts during the same period. 

It is evident that a subject of so great importance to the agri- 
cultural interests of the community deserves attention. It is also 
interesting to all classes of the community, on account of the re- 
lations of this disease to epidemic diseases which afflict the human 
race, and on account of its effects upon the supply of animal food. 
for cities. For these reasons I have, in connection with Dr. Col- 
lins and other physicians of this city, made some investigations- 
upon the subject. We have visited and examined many sick hogs,. 
and have examined the bodies of some of them after death. I 
have also made inquiries of those who have had the care of tlie- 
21 



822 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

hogs in relation to the symptoms, and have obtained information, 
so far as possible, from those who have seen the disease at the 
West, where it has prevailed so extensively. The results of these 
investigations I propose to give briefly as follows : 

Symptoms. — The symptoms, as described by persons unaccus- 
tomed to such observations, are extremely various. By combin- 
ing the information obtained from others with the results of my 
own observations, the symptoms, as seen during the life of the 
animal, are nearly as follows : 

1. Refusal of food. — This is the first symptom usually noticed 
by those who have the care of the animals, though, as will be seen 
hereafter, this symptom by no means indicates the beginning of 
the disease. The refusal of food, after it is first noticed, generally 
continues through the whole sickness, and food of every descrip- 
tion is mostly refused. 

2. Great thirst. — This is constant, and large quantities of cold 
water will be swallowed if it can be obtained. Even after the 
animal is unable to stand alone it will drink cold water with 
eagerness. 

3. After a time, the length of which varies very much, the ani- 
mal begins to show signs of weakness; reels, staggers, and, in 
attempting to walk, often falls down. 

4. In most cases there is a diarrhea, with copious fluid dis- 
charges of dark, bilious, and very offensive matters. In a few 
eases there is no diarrhea, but evacuations of hard, black balls ; 
but in some of these cases the fluid offensive matter is found in 
the intestines after death. 

5. In a few cases there is vomiting; but this is not often severe, 
nor is it continuous for any length of time. 

6. The external appearance of the animal is at first paler than 
usual; but toward the last of the sickness purple spots appear, 
first on the nose and sides of the head. These extend along the 
sides and belly, and between the hind legs ; after which the ani- 
mal soon dies. 

7. In many cases, perhaps a majority, ulcers are found on the 
different parts of the body. These were particularly noticed on 
the inside of the lips and gums, and on the feet, and were often 
quite deep and excavated. In some cases these ulcers were seen 
in the nostrils, and in one case there were extensive ulcerations in 
the back part of the mouth, on the tonsils. 



MSEASES OF SWINE. 823 

8. In some cases the legs are swelled, and the animal is lame ; 
sometimes the ears and sides of the head are swelled and red ; 
sometimes the eyes are sore and inflamed; sometimes swellings, 
like carbuncles, are seen ; and, generally, the glands near the sur- 
face seem to be enlarged. 

9. In most cases the pulse is quickened, the breathing is hurried 
and difficult, and there is much cough ; but in some genuine cases 
there is no perceptible trouble with the lungs, and no important 
signs of disease are found in them after death. 

10. The duration of the disease in fatal cases, after the first 
symptoms are noticed, is extremely variable. We have seen some 
which have died within two or three hours ; others have lived 
many days. It is difficult, however, to fix the time of the appear- 
ance of the first symptoms. The first noticed is usually the refusal 
of food; but it is probable, indeed it is certain, that the sickness 
is in progress for a considerable period before the animal refuses 
food. Cases like the following are sometimes seen : A hog refuses 
to eat ; it soon grows weak ; staggers in walking ; turns purple 
on the sides and belly, and dies within two or three hours after 
the first symptom is noticed. But, on examination after death, 
extensive disease is found in the intestines, or in the lungs, or in 
both, at a stage of development which must have required many' 
days to reach. 

Such are the symptoms as obtained from inquiries and obser- 
vations in this vicinity. Since the preceding description was writ- 
ten, I have obtained a valuable article upon the disease, written 
by Dr. George Sutton, of Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana, 
and published in the "North American Medico-Chirurgical Ke- 
view," for May, 1858. 

Dr. Sutton made extensive and careful observations of the 
disease as it prevailed in Indiana, and his articles comprise the 
only published information I have been able to obtain in relation 
to it. His description of the symptoms is as follows : " The hog 
at first appears weak; his head droops; and sometimes, in a few 
hours after these symptoms, diarrhea commences. There is fre- 
quently vomiting. In some cases the discharges were serous and 
clay-colored, sometimes dark, also bloody and mucous, resembling 
those of dysentery. The urine at first was generally amall in 
quantity and high-colored, but as the animal recovered it became 
abundant and clear. This was one of the symptoms by which 



824 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

the men, who were attending the hogs at the distillery, ascertained 
that they were recovering. In a large number of cases the respir- 
atory organs appeared to be principally affected, and there was 
coughing, wheezing, and difficult respiration. In some instances 
the animal lost the power of squealing, and the larynx was dis- 
eased. There was frequently swelling of the tongue and bleeding 
from the nose. In those cases where the respiratory organs were 
the principal seat of the disease there was generally no diarrhea 
or dysentery. In many instances the disease appeared to be prin- 
cipally confined to the skin ; sometimes the nose, the ear, or the 
side of the head were very much inflamed — the ear swollen to 
twice its usual thickness. This inflammation would spread along 
the skin sometimes over the eye, producing complete blindness. 
Sometimes one or more legs were inflamed and swollen, and the 
inflammation also extended along the body. The skin, where it 
was inflamed, was red and swollen. Some had large sores on 
their flanks or sides, from three to six inches in diameter. In one 
instance, at the distillery, the inflammation extended along the 
fore-leg, the foot became ulcerated and sloughed off, and the 
animal recovered. Some appeared delirious, as if there was in- 
flammation of the brain. Sudden changes in the weather, par- 
ticularly from warm to cold, appeared to increase the fatality of 
the disease." 

The symptoms, as described by Dr. Sutton, are similar to 
those observed in this vicinity, and the descriptions already given 
are sufficient to enable any one to recognize the disease wherever 
it prevails. It will be noticed that there is a very great variety 
in the symptoms described, and that they affect nearly every part 
of the animal. This would be expected from the nature of the 
disease itself, as will be seen hereafter. 

Post-mortem Appearances. — Having described the symptoms as 
seen while the animal is living, I will now give, briefly, the ap- 
pearances found on examination of the bodies after death. In the 
course of our investigations, during the last winter and spring, 
the bodies of nine hogs were carefully examined by Drs. G. L. 
Collins, J. W. C. Ely, and E. T. Caswell, of Providence, in 
the presence of several other physicians. A minute account of 
each case was prepared by Dr. Collins, and published in the 
"Transactions of the Rhode Island Medical Society," for 1861. 
It will be sufficient for the objects of this paper to give a brief 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 325 

synopsis of the diseased appearances which were found in these 
examinations. 

Lungs. — In two cases the lungs were healthy. In the remain- 
ing seven cases one or both lungs were more or less inflamed, 
having a liver-like appearance, called hepatization. In some cases 
the inflammation was more advanced, and the substance of the 
lungs was breaking down into a mass of disease. In all cases 
where the lungs were inflamed there was also pleurisy, and the 
lungs were adherent to the walls of the chest, the inflammation 
of the lungs and the pleurisy together constituting true pleuro- 
pneumonia. In two cases there were tubercles, or consumption 
in the lungs ; but this is not uncommon in hogs, and is not sup- 
posed to have any connection with the special disease we are con- 
sidering. 

Stomach. — The stomach and the small intestines were generally 
healthy. The stomach was frequently distended with an offensive 
mixture of food, and in one case the inner surface was ulcerated 
to some extent. In two cases worms were found in the small in- 
testines; but this was probably a mere accidental occurrence, and 
had no necessary connection with the disease. 

Large Intestines. — The inner coat of the large intestines was 
generally inflamed and softened, with ulcerations to a greater or 
less extent, and they were frequently so tender as to be easily torn 
with the fingers. On account of their diseased condition, their 
Inner coat was frequently discolored. The inflammation and 
ulceration of these intestines are probably the principal cause of 
the diarrhea in this disease. 

Kidneys. — These organs were, in every case, much more pale 
and yellow than natural ; this condition was well marked. 

The liver and bladder were generally healthy. In some cases 
water was found in the cavity of the belly and of the chest, and 
in the membrane surrounding the heart (heart-case). In two 
cases numerous minute purple spots were seen upon the mem- 
brane lining the walls of the belly. The urine was often changed 
from the healthy condition, containing albumen and other dis- 
eased products, not, however, noticeable to the eye. Ulcers upon 
the feet and in the mouth were often found. The brain was not 
examined, as there were no symptoms observed which seemed to 
indicate disease of this organ. It may be, at times, affected, but 
is probably more rarely so than the other organs of the body. 



826 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Such are some of the most important appearances which are 
found on examination of the bodies of hogs which have died with 
this disease. It will be noticed that three of the diseased con- 
ditions I have described are prominent, important, and such as 
would be readily recognized by the most ignorant observer. These 
are, first, the pleurisy and inflammation of the lungs ; second, the 
inflammation, ulceration, and softening of the inner coat of the 
large intestines; and, third, the pale and yellowish color of the 
kidneys. One or more of these diseased conditions will be found 
in every case, and in, perhaps, a majority of cases, they will all be 
found in the same animal. 

Dr. Sutton, of Indiana, in the article from which I have 
already quoted, gives an interesting account of the post mortem 
appearances in hogs dying from this disease. He examined the 
bodies of sixty-seven hogs, and it is evident, from this article, that 
he had the opportunity of observing the disease in a more malig- 
nant form than it has presented in this vicinity. He mentions 
every diseased condition that I have described, and also found 
unmistakable marks of similar disease in almost every other organ 
of the body. 

With the description already given of symptoms and post mor- 
tem appearances, most persons, even without medical knowledge, 
will be able to recognize the disease. It remains for us to con- 
sider, briefly, its nature, causes, prevention, and treatment. 

Nature of the Disease. — The first question which arises in the 
minds of most persons is this : What is the disease? and the ques- 
tion is asked with a special desire to have it answered by a definite 
name. This can not be done. There is no name which would con- 
vey, even to physicians, and certainly not to others, a precise idea ■ 
of the disease. But though there is no specific name by which it 
can be called, the facts, as already given, can not fail to suggest, 
at least to medical men, a correct idea of its nature. Sometimes 
in the human subject, particularly when portions of the body are 
undergoing the process of inflammation and suppuration, pus and 
other diseased products are absorbed, and, entering into the circu- 
lation, poison the blood and produce that condition of the system 
known as pysemia. In such cases the general poisoning of the 
system is shown by a low form of fever, great weakness and pros- 
tration of the vital powers, frequently accompanied by vomiting 
and purging, and often resulting in pleurisy, with inflammation 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 327 

and deposits of matter in the substance of the lungs, superficial 
swellings and abscesses, inflammation and suppuration in the joints, 
and other diseased phenomena. So in severe forms of typhus or 
ship fever, and in malignant cases of some other diseases, when 
the whole system seems to be filled with a powerful poison and 
uttcrfy prostrated, the same or similar effects are seen. So in this 
disease among hogs there seems to be a general poisoning of the 
blood, producing local inflammations and ulcerations in various 
parts of the system, though more frequently in some portions than- 
in others. 

This, then, is a general disease of the whole system, resulting 
from some poisoning of the blood ; and the pleurisy, the inflam- 
mation of the lungs, the ulceration of the intestines, the superficial 
ulcers and swellings, and other effects I have described, are only 
the local effects or results of the general disease. The diarrhea, 
which exists in a majority of cases, and on account of which the 
name of " hog cholera " has been given to the disease, is probably 
caused by the local inflammation and ulceration of the large intes- 
tines. The name ." hog cholera" is, therefore, entirely improper, 
as it represents only one of the several prominent symptoms. The 
disease might as correctly and as incorrectly be called a a pleuro- 
pneumonia." 

In this connection, it is proper to notice the similarity which 
exists between this disease in swine and some epidemic diseases 
which have prevailed among cattle. Some two thousand years 
since a disease, to which the name of " murrain " was given, was 
described by Virgil as " a highly inflammatory fever among cattle, 
accompanied with tumors, carbuncles, ulcers, and purulent deposits 
throughout the whole body." Any one who reads this and other 
descriptions of murrain, as given in the " New American Cyclo^- 
pedia," can not fail to notice the striking similarity between that 
disease among cattle and the disease among swine which we are 
now considering. The same is true of the disease which has caused; 
so much excitement in New England, within the last two years, 
under the name of " pleuro-pneumonia." Its symptoms and post: 
mortem appearances, so far as described in the reports I have seen 
upon the subject, are very similar to those observed in the disease 
among hogs which we have examined. The only case of the 
disease called "pleuro-pneumonia" that I have seen was in the 
vicinity of Providence, in July, 1861. In that case, in which a 



328 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

post mortem examination was made by Dr. Collins, it was the 
unanimous opinion of the physicians present that there was a re- 
markable similarity in the symptoms and appearances to those 
observed in the hogs examined previously. 

The conclusion to which I have arrived is, that the " hog chol- 
era" I have described, the "murrain" of Virgil and of all ages 
since, and the " pleuro-pneumonia " of New England, are similar 
diseases, having the same general features, producing similar dis- 
eased changes in the body, and are the result of similar causes. If 
a definite name is required, the name of " murrain," which is de- 
rived from a Greek word which means to waste or to weaken, is 
the best. The names " hog cholera " and " pleuro-pneumonia " are 
both improper, and give very erroneous ideas in relation to the 
disease. 

Causes. — In this and other similar diseases among animals, as 
well as in epidemic diseases in the human race, the universal ten- 
dency of the public mind is to ascribe their propagation to conta- 
gion. Dr. Sutton, whom I have already quoted, says : " Although 
this disease must occasionally have a spontaneous origin, yet, when 
once produced, it will spread rapidly by contagion." The investi- 
gations of the cattle disease in Massachusetts in 1860, and the action 
of the Legislature in regard to it, seem to have been based upon 
the theory that the disease was a " pleuro-pneumonia " only, and 
that it was contagious. 

If this be an epidemic or epizootic* disease, its causes are similar 
in their nature and operation to those of other epidemics. The 
following, then, according to my understanding of the subject, are 
the causes not only of this disease among swine, but also of the 
disease referred to among cattle, as well as of epidemics in the 
human race : 

1. An epidemic atmospherical poison. 

2. The local conditions or circumstances adapted to receive and 
propagate the poison existing in the atmosphere. 

With regard to the first cause, the atmospherical poison, very 
little is certainly known. It may be an animal or vegetable exist- 



* The phrase "epidemic disease among animals" is incorrect, as the word 
"epidemic," can properly be applied only to diseases of the human race. The 
word "epizootic" has the same meaning with reference to diseases among ani- 
mals that the word " epidemic " has with reference to diseases among men. 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 329 

ence, or a chemical or electrical change in the atmosphere. Nor 
do we know any thing of the differences in the condition of the 
atmosphere by which such dissimilar epidemic and epizootic dis- 
eases are produced at different times. But, judging from their 
effects, we conclude that these primary causes of epidemics proba- 
bly exist in the atmosphere ; that they progress over a greater or 
less extent of country, in accordance with laws with which we are 
not acquainted, and, lighting upon the earth, produce their effects 
wherever they find the local conditions adapted to their propaga- 
tion. 

The local conditions, or causes of this disease among swine, 
are more obvious and better understood. They are, briefly, im- 
pure air, arising from the filth with which the animals are sur- 
rounded, the location and want of ventilation of the pens in which 
they are kept, the use of improper and ^unhealthy food, and the 
want of pure water. Common sense shows that cleanliness, good 
food, pure air, and pure water are as important to prevent disease 
in hogs as in men, though the fact is generally ignored by those 
who have the care of these animals. Another condition, though 
not absolutely essential to produce the disease, has a very great 
influence in increasing its severity and fatality. It is the crowd- 
ing of large numbers of animals together. It is a well-established 
fact that the severity and fatality of cholera, and of other epidem- 
ics in the human family, is in direct proportion to the density of 
the population. The coexistence of both the causes given — namely, 
the atmospherical poison and the local conditions — is necessary for 
the exteusive development of the disease. When both these causes 
are present in any locality, and healthy animals are brought into 
the locality, a portion of them, and sometimes all, will contract 
the disease. But this important fact is to be remembered, that 
both these causes may exist in a locality whethei any animals are 
present or not. 

Perhaps I have said more than some might think necessary in 
relation to the causes of the disease ; but the subject is of the ut- 
most importance in its relations to preventive measures. If this 
and other similar diseases are not contagious, but arise from causes 
which may, and do, originate and exist wholly independent of the 
presence of animals, it is manifestly absurd to attempt, as has been 
done in some cases, to prevent and eradicate them by the whole- 
sale destruction of the animals. 



830 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Prevention. — Keeping in mind the causes of the disease as I 
have given them, the measures necessary for prevention are obvious, 
and may be stated in a very few words. They are, to remove, as 
far as possible, the causes. The general cause existing in the at- 
mosphere can not be removed, nor can it be avoided, except by the 
removal of the animals beyond the limits of its existence, and this 
is not usually practicable. But the local causes can, to a very 
great extent, be removed, and without these the general cause can 
not produce any very serious results. The hogs can be removed 
from their filthy pens and can be kept clean ; they can be removed 
from low ground to more elevated places; they can be. separated 
and isolated as far as possible ; they can be allowed an abundance 
of pure air and of pure cold water ; and they can be supplied with 
nourishing, healthy food. In a word, they can be placed in the 
conditions which common sense shows to be essential to health, 
whether of hogs or of other animals. When this is done, every 
thing is done that is necessary or possible for the prevention of 
this as well as of other similar diseases. 

Treatment.- — In the treatment of a disease of this character, we 
have little to expect from the specific or direct action of medicine 
of any kind. The most that we can hope to do is to support the 
system so as to enable Nature to overcome the disease. In a hu- 
man being, with a disease of a similar character, we should first 
remove the patient to a healthy locality, and provide for an ample 
supply of pure air and good nursing. This, faithfully done, would 
be the most important step toward recovery. We should then 
give, as the symptoms might require, beef-tea or broths, milk, 
wine-whey, brandy, quinine, and other similar preparations, al- 
ways remembering that the object is to sustain the animal powers 
so as to enable the system to withstand the depressing effects of 
the poison and free itself from its presence. 

The treatment of hogs with this disease must be of a similar 
character. Stimulants and tonics of some description, with plenty 
of pure air, pure water, and suitable nourishment must be given. 
Chlorate of potash, in full doses, from its known effects on the 
human subject, has been proposed as a remedy, but of its value I 
am unable to speak. Powdered charcoal is undoubtedly of some 
value, when scattered freely about the pens and given to some ex- 
tern in the food. But, in the severer cases, treatment of any kind 
is generally unsuccessful, and if successful would cost more than 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 331 

the animal is worth. We might succeed, by the use of the reme- 
dies named, and by careful nursing, in prolonging the life of the 
diseased hog ; but success of this kind would hardly compensate 
the trouble and expense necessary to secure it. But a large num- 
ber of the milder cases will recover without treatment of any kind, 
and in this, as in other epidemics of a similar nature, it will be 
found that the first cases that occur will be very severe, and will 
nearly all prove fatal ; while, after the epidemic has existed for a 
time, the disease will seem to become more mild, and a much larger 
proportion will recover. The important fact to be remembered is, 
that it is for the interest of the owner of these animals to use every 
possible means to prevent the disease, as prevention is of infinitely 
more importance to him than treatment ; but if the disease becomes 
established, it should be treated in a rational manner, not forget- 
ting that Nature, when properly aided, will do infinitely more than 
medicine for the cure. 

Note. — The above valuable article on "Hog Cholera" is from the pen of Dr. 
E. M. Snow and is the most reliable one ever published on this disease. 



DR. DADD'S REMEDY FOR "HOG CHOLERA." 

Powdered anthracite coal 4 pounds. 

Powdered ginger. 1 pound. 

Powdered sulphur -| pound. 

Salt 7 oz. 

Phosphate of lime 1 pound 

Mix. 

Let each affected animal have one handful of the above mix- 
ture every day. Mix it in a pint of dry oatmeal. If the animal 
refuses to eat it, liquefy the same with cow's milk, anjd give as & 
drench. 



mss 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



TRICHINA SPIRALIS. 



The American people have been startled lately by the published 
accounts of a new and terrible disease in Germany, and especially 
in Saxony, which brings to mind some of the most dreadful plagues 
of Egypt. The disease in question, termed Trichiniasis, caused 
by the ravages on the human muscle of a minute worm, called Tri- 
chlnts Spiralis, coming so close upon the cattle disease, did, in- 




TBICHINA SPIRALIS AND OVA, AS SEEN IN THE MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN SUBJECT, MAGNI- 
FIED ABOUT TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TIMES. 



deed, to the ignorant, appear to justify some of the recent prophecies 
of Dr. Cumming-, but to the more intelligent, and especially to the 
medical mind, it came as an old story. Singularly enough, the 
worm which is now occupying the attention of German anatomists 
was discovered as long ago as 1835, by Professor Owen. Both 
Mr. John Hilton, a demonstrator of anatomy at Guy's, and Mr. 
Thormald, the demonstrator at St. Bartholomew's, had, two years 
previously, observed small white bodies interspersed among the 
muscles of subjects under dissection, and that they were of a gritty 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 338 

character was evident from the manner in which they turned the 
edges of the knives. One of these specimens of affected muscle 
was, in the year mentioned, given to Professor Owen by Mr. 
Paget, then a student, for inspection. These speckles the dis- 
tinguished anatomist discovered, under the microscope, to be the 
capsule of a very fine worm, which was seen coiled up- closely 
within it. From its hair-like fineness, its discoverer derived the 
term Trichina, and from the spiral manner in which it was invaria- 
bly found coiled up within its envelope, he added the word Spiralis ; 
henee the name by which it is known. 

v ,, 







1H1CBINA SPIRALIS IN PORK, MAGNIFIED ABOUT TWO HUNDRED DIAMETERS. 
AFTER AN ORIGINAL DRAWING BY MR. DRAPER. 

An account of this newly-discovered parasite was published by 
Professor Owen, in the " Transactions of the Zoological Society," 
in 1835, headed, "Description of a Microscopic Entozoon infest- 
ing the Muscles of the Human Body." This paper gave a very 
minute account of the creature, illustrated with drawings, and es- 
tablished his claim to be the discoverer of one of our latest-found 
inhabitants, which has made such a sensation in the world. The 
discovery made much noise at the time throughout Europe, and 
the Professor's paper drew the attention of the anatomists of Eu- 
rope to the worm. But one or two cases were recorded of the 
presence of the parasite in the human body, and the matter re- 
mained in abeyance for some years, until the German professors 
again drew attention to it, and completed our knowledge of its 
method of introduction. Professor Luschka, of Tubingen, car- 



334 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

ried our knowledge of the worm, perhaps, up to the highest point 
anatomically, and in the same year the method of transmission of 
the worm from one animal to another was made out by a series of 
experiments instituted by Herbst voi? JSTachrichten. He gave 
the flesh of a hedge-hog, which he knew to be infested with tri- 
china, to young dogs, and speedily found that all their voluntary 
muscles were full of these worms. But, although this important 
step was made out, little notice was taken of it. His experiments 
were repeated in Scotland and England, but the peculiar manner 
in which the worm got into the muscle was yet undiscovered. 

Kenker, in I860, was lucky enough to supply this knowledge. 
The body of a servant girl, who had died with many of the symp- 
toms of typhus fever, came under the inspection of the anatomist. 
He found her voluntary muscles to be full of trichinae ; and upon 
inquiring into her case, he found that she had assisted in the mak- 
ing of sausages about three weeks before she was taken ill, and 
that she had eaten some of the raw meat a few days before her ill- 
ness commenced. The butcher who had killed the pig, and sev- 
eral members of the family, had been affected in the same manner 
as the girl, but had recovered. The sausages and hams were ex- 
amined, and were found to be full of worms, encapsuled, as it is 
termed, or surrounded with an envelope ; but in the girl the 
worms were found among the muscles, in a free state. 

From this evidence the manner in which the parasite obtained 
entrance to the human body was fully made out. Pork (uncooked 
pork) was the vehicle by means of which the parasite was enabled 
to enter the human body. But, says the reader, why should pork 
only be the means of conveying the entozoa to the human body ? 
The reason is that the pig is the only animal eaten by man that 
is partially a carnivorous feeder. It is supposed that the pig ob- 
tains them from dead rats, which are often infested with these 
worms, or other garbage. Birds, although carrion feeders, can 
not, for some unknown reason, be infested with the worms. In 
the horse, calf, and the young and old dog, says Dr. Thudichum, 
the young trichinae are born, but they can not pierce the intestines, 
and, therefore, can not immigrate into the flesh. Of course, it is 
just possible that the worm may be conveyed, like the tape-worm, 
through the medium of impure water. We are not likely to drink 
this, but it often happens that fruit and vegetables are watered 
from impure tanks, into which these creatures may have got. 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 335 

It is certainly an objection to the modern system of watering 
with liquid manure, that in this way the tape-worm, and possibly 
the trichina, may find their way on to the vegetables which we 
eat, and in this way we may be receiving noxious intestinal worms 
into our system. For instance, some people water their strawber- 
ries with liquid manure, not thinking of the little serpent that 
may be hidden in the fruit. It is now known that, after entering 
the alimentary canal, the parasite finds its breeding-ground, and 
brings forth immense numbers of young, which immediately begin 
to make their way through the coats of the intestines and migrate 
into the muscles. 

It is a singular fact that these disagreeable adventurers always 
select the voluntary muscles, or those which are moved at our will. 
The heart and kidneys, and those parts of the viscera which act 
independently of the will, are scarcely ever affected. It is, in- 
deed, a matter of dispute how the worms get distributed so gen- 
erally over the body, some anatomists asserting that they make 
their way directly by boring, as the ship-worm bores through 
a piece of timber ; but Dr. Thudichum, who was appointed, in 
] 864, to investigate the subject, by the medical officer of the Privy 
Council, asserts that they enter the circulation, and are, in this 
manner, distributed equally over every part of the body. To use 
his words: "Arrived in the capillaries (terminal blood-vessels), 
they penetrate their two-coated walls, separating the fibers as a man 
separates the branches of a hedge, when creeping through it, and 
are now either at once in muscular tissue, their proper feeding- 
ground, or get into inhospitable tissues and cavities, and there 
either perish or escape from them by a renewed effort at locomo- 
tion, enter the circulation a second time, and ultimately perish 
in the lungs, or arrive in some muscle to obtain a late asylum." 

This hypothesis, certainly, seems the most reasonable, as it is in 
agreement with the known means by which other entozoa migrate. 
Arrived at the muscular tissues, it seems again questionable whether 
the worm attacks the muscle only, or whether it is not deposited 
in the intervals which occur between the bundles of muscles. 
Leuckhaet says they penetrate the sarcolemma, and eat the 
muscular fiber itself. Dr. Thudichum says that he has never 
seen but once the worm in the muscle, but always outside of it. 
It is certainly a strange fact that, in many cases, persons attacked 
with triehiniasis have not only perfectly recovered from its effects, 



336 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

but have become as strong as ever. It could scarcely have ha] - 
pened that the muscles of these patients had been fed upon by 
vast colonies of worms, which would have inevitably destroyed 
them beyond repair. The probability is that the worm finds its 
way into all the tissues. Between the third and fourth week after 
immigration, the trichina has become full-grown, and now it be- 
gins to prepare its capsule. It becomes fixed to the spot in which 
it is, solid matter is deposited around it, and, curled up, it lies im- 
movable in its plastic capsule, and dies unless received again into 
the alimentary canal of another animal, which, in this case, of 
course, it never does. The presence of these encapsuled trichinae 
in the muscles may cause irritation, but that speedily subsides; 
and it is pretty clear that many persons suffer little harm from 
them while thus curled up, as they have been found in the bodies 
of subjects that have been dissected, and whose previous history 
gave no evidence of their existence. 

On the other hand, the disease, when severe, puts on many of 
the characteristic symptoms of well-known diseases. The fever 
caused by the presence of the parent worms in the intestines may 
be, as, indeed, it often has been, taken for gastric fever. Then, 
again, when the young worms are immigrating into the muscles, 
the most excruciating agony seizes the patient. He can not move 
a muscle without the utmost pain, and he lies generally upon his 
back, with his legs a little apart, covered with perspiration. The 
face and neck become tumid with a dropsical effusion, which 
generally extends to the legs and abdomen. An attack of acute 
rheumatic fever appears to have seized the individual, but for the 
want of the heart symptoms. Again, the disease stimulates chol- 
era and typhus, and, indeed, poisoning, in many of its symptoms ; 
but those who have seen a genuine case of trichiniasis can not be 
deceived, as the whole symptoms present are consistent with no 
other disease. In cases of doubt, a piece of the living muscle has 
been excised from the biceps muscle of the arm ; and this test is 
almost certain to be conclusive, as the worm is distributed, in 
severe cases, in profusion through every voluntary muscle of the 
entire body. 

Dr. Thttdichum, speaking of a child who died of this disease, 
says, in his report to Mr. Simon: "One preparation from the 
biceps muscle of a child, four and a half years of age, which died 
on the seventy-ninth day, contained the astounding number of 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 337 

fifty-eight. Such a preparation was estimated to weigh one-fifth 
of a grain, and, therefore, every grain of muscle contained, on an 
average, one hundred trichina?. Now, assuming the weight of the 
muscles of an adult to be only forty pounds, and assuming him to 
be a victim of trichiniasis, and the parasites equally distributed 
throughout his body, he would contain upward of twenty-eight 
millions of these animals." The agony of this plague of worms 
attacking the fine fibers of nerves distributed throughout the 
frame can, from this estimate, be thoroughly understood in the 
fever and weakness caused by the destruction of fiber, and the 
irritation is accounted for with equal ease. 

The progress of the disease is pretty much as follows : During 
the first stage, which lasts from a week to ten days, there is great 
intestinal disturbance, caused by the presence of the parent trich- 
ina? in the intestines, giving rise, in severe cases, to alarming diar- 
rhea, as may be expected. The second stage lasts a fortnight or 
three weeks, seldom longer. During this time the immigration 
of the young trichina?, hatched in the intestinal passage, is taking 
p'iace; hence the agony throughout the body, the dropsy in the 
face, the hurried breathing, and the fever. Although the dropsy 
becomes genuine, it in no manner depends upon kidney disease, 
as that organ is never affected in any way. In the fourth week 
the immigration has entirely ceased, and the worm is beginning 
to be incapsulated. From this time the patient begins to recover, 
the appetite improves, the pains become less, and, unless compli- 
cations arise, as in other severe fevers, the patient gradually passes 
into a state of health. Death may, however, take place at any 
stage of the disease. At the great outbreak of this disease which 
took place at Calbe, in Germany, it was observed to happen on 
the fifth, eighth, fourteenth, twenty-first, and forty-second days 
of the illness. Death generally is brought about by exhaustion.. 
The exhaustive diarrhea which sometimes occurs, together with the' 
inability to take food, and the terrible agony, easily explains this 
termination. 

The difficulty connected with the treatment of this disease is 
consequent upon the impossibility of knowing what is really the 
matter in its early stages, when treatment is alone useful. In 
regular outbreaks of the disease the physician is led to suspect the 
evil in the beginning, and then it can be cut short by destroying; 
and expelling the parent worms before they have had time to col^- 
22 



338 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.- 

onize the intestines with their young. But at the commencement 
of an outbreak, or in isolated cases, the symptoms are too like 
those of gastric fever to lead to a suspicion of the real nature of 
the affection. 

A prevention is far better than cure, and, happily, this can be 
easily accomplished. As pork is the only means by which the par- 
asite can enter the human frame, we have only to take care that we 
eat it thoroughly cooked. The Englishman has a very strong prej- 
udice in favor of doing his leg of pork well, however much he may 
like beef and mutton underdone. The Germans are apt to suffer 
desperate outbreaks of this disease because they are fond of emoked 
sausages, in which no heat is applied to the meat. The severity 
of the infection depends, indeed, upon the amount of cooking to 
which the trichinous meat has been subjected, and the order in 
which it is affected is as follows : Raw meat, smoked sausages, cer- 
velat sausages, raw smoked ham, raw smoked sausage, fried sau- 
sage, fried meat-balls, brawn, pickled pork, blood sausage, boiled 
pork. As few people are likely to eat raw pork, there seems little 
danger to be apprehended from the most dangerous item in the 
list; but it is well to know that boiled pork is, in all cases, the 
most harmless. The power of the worm to resist heat and cold is 
very remarkable. They have been frozen to five degrees below 
centigrade, and been thawed to life again. Ordinary vermifuges 
are powerless against them. Their vitality is as great as the wheel- 
worm, which seems almost indestructible. Let our friends, then, 
take care never to touch the smallest portion of underdone pork, 
and beware of German sausages, bolognas, and things of the same 
kind, as they would beware of an assassin. 

Before the discovery of the new disease, trichiniasis, sever il 
epidemics occurred in Germany, which very much puzzled the 
physicians. In two or three cases it was supposed that the per- 
sons suffering had been poisoned in some mysterious manner, and 
judicial inquiries were instituted without any result. More gen- 
erally, however, the outbreaks were ascribed to rheumatic fever, 
or typhus fever. It was observed, at the time of their occurrence, 
that the outbreaks were confined to particular families, regiments, 
or villages. The symptoms, then obscure, are now recognized aa 
those of trichiniasis; indeed, there seems to be little doubt that 
they were outbreaks of this disorder. They all occurred in the 
spring of the year, the time of pig-sticking in Germany, and the 



DISEASES OF SWINE. S39 

very characteristic swelling of the face, in the absence of any kid- 
ney disease, was observed. 

The mortality arising from this disease is in direct ratio of the 
severity of the attack, and this depends upon the number of 
worms which may chance to be introduced into the body. One 
pig is sufficient to cause an epidemic far and wide ; indeed, many 
of those which have ravaged Germany within these last three or 
four years have been traced to one trichinous pig. At the out- 
break at Planen one person died out of thirty attacked. At Calbe, 
where the epidemic was more severe, seven persons died out of 
thirty-eight infected; at Hettstadt, where one trichinous pig in- 
fected one hundred and fifty-eight persons, twenty-eight died. 
From these facts the formidable nature of the infection may be 
gathered. 

If sudden epidemics can be traced to the action of an obscure 
worm, may we not hope that many of our disorders, now obscure 
in their origin, and, consequently, unmanageable and incurable, 
will in time come to light, and be amenable to treatment ? Pos- 
sibly some more subtle power even than the microscope will be 
discovered, and give us the power of scrutinizing diseased condi- 
tions, and finding out the agents so stealthily at work in bringing 
the human machine to misery and premature death. 

The following very interesting and valuable article on the sub- 
ject of Trichina is translated from the German, expressly for this 
work, by E. F. Brown, V. S., of Chicago : 

The Trichina (Trichina Spiralis) was known to exist as early as 
1832, and in 1835 received its name from Mr. Owen. It was 
considered, until the year I860, to be perfectly harmless. Autop- 
sies revealed the parasite as a very small speck, surrounded by a 
white, chalky capsule. In the Infirmary of Dresden, the servant 
girl of a butcher died after suffering violent pains in the muscles. 
The autopsy revealed numerous trichinae not surrounded by cap- 
sules, hence they were not to be seen with the naked eye. After 
this, closer inquiries were made into the nature and habits of the 
trichinae. The result of the investigations proved that the trichinae 
are generated in the hog, and introduced into our system, not with 
the fat or liver, but with the lean pork ; and they are sometimes 
found in capsules, and at others without them, and that the cap- 
sules are very soon destroyed, after their introduction into the 



340 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



system, and thus the inclosed parasites are set free. The hyber- 
nated trichinae grow very fast, so that they attain, in about three 
days, twice their original length, and in the same ratio alter their 
appearance. Nothing of their generative organs was then known, 
but now the creatures can be plainly distinguished as male and 
female. They enter into very productive marriages, because one 




Explanation. — Fig. 1, Trichinous pork, as seen with the naked eye; 2, Young minute trichinae 
roving about, magnified forty diameters; 3, Trichince in capsules, magnified forty diame- 
ters; 4, Female trichina ; 5, Male trichina, magnified two hundred diameters, (a) Head ; 
(b) the tail. Near the female trichina is seen the ova and their young ones, just escaped 
from the genital organs. 



female brings forth, in a very short time, hundreds of live young 
ones. These new-born trichinae do not resemble their producers, 
for they are without any generative organs. They are very much 
like the parasite when first introduced into our system with the 
pork. 

The young trichinae remain not at home, like the old ones, but 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 341 

at once commence to travel. They break 'through, the intestines 
and enter the muscles known as the voluntary, where they con- 
tinue their march until they have found, in the finest fibers, a place 
fit for their encapsulation,, On their journey to such locality they 
can not be seen with the naked eye, but only by means of a micro- 
scope. They wander in the shape as presented in fig. 2, straight, 
or slightly bent. After they arrive at their destination, they curve 
or bend themselves in various ways, and thus make their way into 
the flesh fibers, and then they roll themselves up in their spindle- 
formed nest, which is spiral in form, like a watch-spring. The 
mass around the nest is, in the beginning, soft and transparent, 
but by degrees it becomes converted into a hard, impenetrable shell. 
These shells can be seen in the flesh with the naked eye. They 
are the fine, white spots as seen in fig. 1. The trichina lives now 
In a perfectly-closed sac, or lemon-formed capsule, and is perfectly 
harmless. In this state, it seems that the trichina can exist in a 
latent state, for many years. From some cause or other, the chalk 
capsules get dissolved, and the hybernating parasites (until now 
without any genital organs) become males and females, and produce 
young ones, who live and act just as their predecessors — namely, 
generate, travel, etc. Accordingly, we find in the human and 
animal body (mostly in the hog) male and female trichina?, and 
those in the stomach either straight or slightly bent. These new-' 
born trichinae, in the stomach and intestines, very soon become 
muscle trichina?, to be encapsuled, like the hermit in his cell. 

Every trichina is pointed at the mouth (a) and rounded at the 
other end (b), the pelvis. Between both openings is the gullet and 
ijatestines. The female trichina is about an eighth of an inch long, 
and has in its hind part (h) a bag containing about sixty or eighty 
balls (the ovary with eggs). Connected is a pipe conveying the 
trichinae, which come from the ova as live parasites, by the vagina. 
How long the parent can exist and generate can not be told, though 
it is supposed that it exists for three or four weeks after giving 
birth to the offspring. The male trichina is about half as large as 
the female, and on its posterior end (6) is a prominence divided 
into two flaps. His anterior construction shows the spermatic ves- 
sels. The new-born trichina? without genitals are only to be seen 
when well magnified. They are very small, and are those which, 
after penetrating the intestines and the cellular texture of the ab- 
domen and cavity of the chest, enter the muscles, to be encapsuled. 



342 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

The traveling trichinae (fig. 2) grow very fast on their journey. 
Finding food on their way, they roll themselves up just as they 
are about becoming encapsuled. In the course of a few weeks the 
parasite has almost attained its full length, but, not having any 
generative organs, it can not multiply. It is supposed that the 
encapsulated trichinae can live for several years, whereas the parents 
die in about six or eight weeks. 

It is not denied that the trichina? are dangerous to the human 
subject, but the danger only occurs when the parasites are very 
numerous in the intestines and muscles. It is certain that a very 
few small pieces of trichinous pork can introduce a great many 
males and females into the system, that in a few days may send 
millions of young parasites into our muscles. The more trichin- 
ous food is eaten, and the more those parasites are introduced 
into the system, and the longer they remain there, the greater must 
be the suffering and danger. The parts affected or visited by the 
trichina? are the stomach, intestines, and muscles ; and if this para- 
site is once introduced in the animal system, it produces an incur- 
able disease, for which there is no remedy. It is well for those 
who are fond of pork to be very cautious, and cook it thoroughly ? 
because, if well cooked, the death of the parasite is sure. 




A LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS, 

RECENTLY INTRODUCED INTO VETERINARY PRACTICE, 

By G. H. DADD, Y. S., 

WITH INSTRUCTION REGARDING THEIR ACTION, AND 
THE QUANTITY TO BE ADMINISTERED. 



fllHE introduction of medicines, in the form of Fluid Ex- 
L tracts, for the treatment of diseases incidental to domestic 
animals is considered a very great improvement over the old 
method of drenching by the pint or quart, to the great disgust of 
the patient as well as the practitioner, and the great danger attend- 
ing the administration of a large quanty of fluid which was neces- 
sary when crude materials were used. In the use of fluid extracts 
all danger is obviated and much labor saved, for the doses are 
quite small, rarely exceeding one fluid ounce. This can be merely 
placed on the tongue, the animal's head being slightly elevated, 
and he swallows it without any difficulty or resistance. 

The fluid extracts bear an exact relation to the crude materials — 
that is, ounce for ounce — yet, from a variety of circumstances, they 
may vary slightly from this standard. It is, however, the inten- 
tion of the manufacturer to completely exhaust the active principle 
of the crude material and render the medicine uniform in strength. 
The fluid extracts used by the author are manufactured by Messrs. 
Garrison & Co., manufacturing chemists, of Chicago. They con- 
duct their evaporations at a very low temperature, by means of an 
improved steam bath, and use only select drugs, thereby prevent- 
ing the possibility of adulteration. I have used large quantities 
of medicine manufactured by the above-named firm, and find them 

(343) 



344 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

equal if not superior to any in the market; therefore I do not 
hesitate to recommend them as efficient and reliable medicines. 
The doses here recommended apply to both horses and cattle. 

Fluid Extract of Chamomile. 

(Anthemis Nobilis.) 

This is a valuable tonic, and is used in cases of derangement of 
the digestive organs. Dose, from two to four drachms. 

Fluid Extract op Arnica. 

[Leopard s-bane.) 

Arnica is chiefly used in veterinary practice as an external ap- 
plication in the treatment of wounds, sprains, and bruises. It is 

prepared as follows : 

Fluid extract of arnica. 4 oz. 

Proof spirits (equal parts of water and alcohol") .. . 1 pint. 
Mix. 

Apply a portion to the affected part two or three times daily. 
Fluid Extract of Wormwood. 

[Artemisia Absinthium.) 

This is used as an anthelmintic for the expulsion of worms. 
The dose is one ounce (fluid), to be given every morning for a 
week, just before feeding-time. It not only has a tendency to ex- 
pel worms, but gives tone to the digestive organs, and corrects a 
morbid appetite. 

Fluid Extract of Pleurisy Koot. 

(Asclepias Tuberosa.) 

This is used in pleurisy and irritable sore throat. Dose, four 
drachms, night and morning. The powdered root enters into tho 
composition of some of the most celebrated cough powders. 

Fluid Extract of Male Fern. 

(Aspidium Filix Mas.) 

This is the celebrated remedy for the treatment of tape-worm, 
which is sometimes to be found in the intestines of young colts. 



LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 345 

Dose, four drachms, to be given every morning, on an empty 
stomach, for six or eight successive days, and longer if necessary. 

Fluid Extract of Buchu. 

[Barosma Crenaia.) 

This is used exclusively for the treatment of diseases of the 
urinary organs, retention of the urine, and for the treatment of 
the various forms of dropsy. Its direct action is diuretic, yet it 
also gives tone to the parts on which it acts. Dose, from four to 
eight drachms. Should an animal be suffering from retention of 
the urine, the diuretic action of the buchu may be augmented by 
adding to it a small quantity (equal parts) of sweet spirits of niter. 
For the treatment of spasm at the neck of the bladder, add to the 
dose of buchu an equal quantity of tincture of assafetida. 

Fluid Extract of Indian Hemp (Foreign). 

( Cannabis Indicus Sativus.) 

This medicine acts as a narcotic and antispasmodic. Its use is 
indicated in all diseases attended with pain and restlessness, but is 
chiefly used for the treatment of tetanus or locked-jaw. Dose,, 
two drachms, to be repeated as occasion may require. 

Fluid Extract of Prince's Pine. 

(Pipsissewa.) 

Prince's pine is a very excellent tonic and diuretic in chronic 
diseases of the urinary organs, and has been used with much suc- 
cess in cases of local dropsy of the limbs, known as swelled legs. 
Dose, from four to six drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Black Snakeroot. 

( Cimicifuga Racemosa.) 

This extract is considered a valuable agent for the treatment of 
spasmodic affections, which arise in consequence of derangement 
of some portion of the nervous system. It is an efficient remedy 
in hysteria. 



346 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

4 

Fluid Extract of Colchicum. 

( Colchicum Autumnale.) 

This extract is prepared from the roots and seeds of the plant. 
It is celebrated for the treatment of rheumatism, inflammatory 
diseases of the joints, and inter-articular lameness. Dose % one 
drachm, two or three times per day. 

Fluid Extract of Yellow Jessamine. 

[Gels eminum Semp ervirens.) 

This agent is used as a sedative in the treatment of pleurisy and 
pneumonia in the early or acute stage. It is also a powerful febri- 
fuge, hence it is indicated in all acute fevers. It entirely dis- 
penses with use of the fleam. Dose, from one to three drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Witch-hazel. 

{Hamamelis Virginica.) 

"Witch-hazel is used as a local astringent in the treatment of 
"bog and blood spavin." It is prepared for use as follows : 

Fluid extract of witch-hazel 6 oz. 

Proof spirits 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Apply a portion twice daily. 

Fluid Extract of Hops. 

[Humvlus Lupulus.) 

This preparation of hops is used as a tonic in general debility, 
and as a narcotic in diseases of the nervous system. It is a relia- 
ble remedy to induce sleep and relieve pain. Dose, from two to 
four drachms, to be repeated as occasion seems to require. 

Fluid Extract of Golden Seal. 

[Hydrastis Canadensis.) 

The golden seal is a pure tonic, and its use is indicated in all 
cases of debility, loss of appetite, derangement of the digestive 
organs, and torpidity of the liver. Dose, from two to four 
drachms. 



LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 347 

Fluid Extract of Sassafras. 

All the preparations of sassafras are more or less alterative. 
t he fluid extract is used in view of purifying the blood in diseases 
of the skin, and in cases of chronic rheumatism. Dose, from four 
to six drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Culver's Root. 

(Leptandra Virginica.) 

This is employed, in the author's practice, as a substitute fot 
calomel, in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the liver. 
Dose, from two to four drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Lobelia. 

Lobelia is a very valuable antispasmodic, and is useful in dis- 
eases of a spasmodic character. The author has used it, with great 
success, in obstinate cases of spasmodic colic. Dose, two drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Bayberry. 

(Myrica Cerifera.) 

Bayberry is successfully used as a stimulant and astringent in 
scours, diarrhea, and super-purgation. Dose, two drachms, to be 
administered in a small quantity of milk porridge. 

Fluid Extract of Poppy-heads. 

{Papaver Somniferium.) 

This is used as a narcotic, in all cases that seem to require the 
exhibition of opium. It mitigates pain, induces sleep and rest, 
and is much safer than crude opium. Dose, from two to six 
drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Poke-root. 

(Phytolacca Decandra.) 

This is used as an alterative in a disease occurring among cows, 
known as " garget," or " caked udder." Dose, from two to four 
drachms. 



348 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Fluid Extract of Matico. 

[Piper Anguslifolium.) 

This is used as a styptic to bleeding wounds, internal hemor- 
rhages, and chronic diarrhea. Dose, from four to eight drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Cubebs. 

This is a very valuable agent for the treatment of leucorrhea, 
gleet, nasal gleet, or discharges from mucous surfaces. Dose, from 
three to six drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Black Pepper. 

[Piper Nigrum.) 

This is a carminative and stimulant to the digestive organs, 
and is often used successfully in the treatment of stomach stag- 
gers. Dose, from two to four drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Mandrake. 

[Podophyllum Peltatum.) 

Mandrake is now used as a laxative and cathartic, in lieu of 
aloes. About one ounce will usually purge a horse, if followed 
up by sloppy bran-mashes. 

Fluid Extract of Bloodroot. 

[Sanguinaria Canadensis.) 

This is used as an escharotic in the treatment of foul ulcer s, 
and fungus growths. It is used, also, as a gargle in suppurative 
laryngitis, croup, putrid sore throat, etc. The gargle is prepared 
as follows: 

Fluid extract of bloodroot 4 oz. 

Vinegar 1 pt. 

Mix. 

It is applied to the mouth and throat by means of a sponge, 
affixed to a piece of rattan or whalebone. 



LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 349 

Fluid Extract of Valerian. 

( Valerian Officinalis.) 

This is a very useful antispasmodic, and its use is indicated in 
all cases marked by irregular nervous action and hysterical affec- 
tions. Dose, four drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Ginger. 

(Zinziberis Officinalis.) 

Fluid extract of ginger is one of the most valuable diffusible 
stimulants to be found in the whole materia medica. The Ja- 
maica ginger is preferable to any other; it is used in cases of indi- 
gestion, flatulency, etc. Dose, from three to six drachms. 

Fluid Extract of Ginger enters into the composition of the cele- 
brated colic drench, used by the author of this work and his 
students, during a period of twenty-five years, with marked suc- 
oess. The following is the formula : 

Fluid extract of ginger ) ■, ., ,, a ., 

-c, -j , r. & ,P , y each 1 lb. fluid. 

rluid extract ot golden seal., j 

Hyposulphite of soda 6 oz. 

Dose, four ounces (fluid) every four hours, until relief is ob- 
tained. 

Remedy for Wounds. 

Apply a compress of several folds of cotton cloth, soaked in a 
portion of the following : 

Balsam fir 1 lb. 

Hyposulphite of soda 2 oz. 

Proof spirit 1 pt. 

Mix. 

Remedy for Tedious Labor. 

The natural labor-pains may be excited by administering; 
fluid extract of ergot (ergota), two drachms, every half hour, 
until delivery is accomplished. The ergot operates with great 
energy upon the contractile function of the uterus, of both mares 
and cows, and to a certain extent prevents inordinate hemorrhage 
after parturition. 



350 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



Remedy for Hemorrhage in Performing Operations. 

Apply, by means of a compress of linen or sponge, a small 
quantity of persulphite of iron. This is the most valuable styptic 
known to veterinary science. 

Fluid Extract of Aconite. 

(Aconitum Napellus — MonK s-hood.) 

This medicine is used as a very powerful sedative and narcotic, 
in all cases of active or inflammatory disease of the lungs or brain 
It is highly recommended by the professors of our art as a reliable 
antiphlogistic in the treatment of acute affections. The dose is 
from ten to twenty drops. This medicine is said to be very effi- 
cacious in inflammatory rheumatism, and as a flne topical remedy 
in localized painful affections, such as laminitis, myalgia, etc. 

Hyposulphite of Soda. 

The hyposulphite of soda is useful in all kinds of diseases known 
as rinderpest, pleuro-pneumonia, typhoid affections, and in en- 
zootic affections, and in all diseases caused by fermentation in the 
blood, such as Texas fever, malignant scarlet fever, typhus, etc. 
The hyposulphite of soda can be used with great success in the 
treatment of the above and other affections of an enzootic origin, 
yet I have found it more efficacious and reliable when prepared 
as follows: 

Hyposulphite of soda ~\ 

Hypophosphate of lime. . . > each 1 oz. 

Hypophosphate of potass. . ) 

Fluid extract of ginger 2 oz. 

Sugar of milk 1 oz. 

Proof spirit. 1 pt. 

Bose, two ounces, two or three times daily. 



rWm 








K' ' 


"."■'''■^ ' 


BS/?!^^a^gjSSf^S 


s^t^^I^s&Ib 


PksbjIISS 


Mm 


PS 


;■■■:■■ 











GLOSSARY 



MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 



A bnormal — Irregular. 

Absorbents — Medicines used for absorbing; also the vessels of the 

body which suck up. 
Acute — Sharp, severe. 
Adipose — Fatty. 
Adynamic — Debilitated. 
Alae — Wings. 

Alteratives — Medicines which change a disease for the better. 
Anasarca — Dropsy of cellular membrane. 
Anasarcous — Dropsical. 
Anaemia — Bloodlessness. 

Antiseptics — Medicines opposed to putrefaction. 
Antispasmodics — Remedies opposed to spasms or convulsions. 
Antiphlogistic — Opposed to inflammation. 
Aperients — Medicines which open the bowels gently. 
Aqueous — Watery. 
A.scites — Dropsy of the belly. 
Ataxic — Disordered. 

Auscultation — Examination by sounding and listening. 
Autopsy — Post-mortem examination. 

Bifurcation — Division into two branches. 

Bolus — A large pill. 

Buccal Membrane — The lining of the mouth. 

Canthus — Corner of the eye. 
Capsule — Shell or case. 

(351) 



DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Carbonaceous — Containing carbon. 

Carminatives — Medicines which, relieve pain by expelling wind from 

the bowels. 
Cartilaginous — Composed of cartilage. 
Cathartic — Loosening. 
Cellular — Cell-like. 
Cerebellum — The brain. 
Cerebrum — The brain. 
Chancrous — Cancerous. 
Clinical — Relating to individual practice. 
Coma — Stupor. 
Comatose — Stupefied 
Conjunctival Membrane — The membrane which lines the eyelids 

and covers the eyeball. 
Cornea — Transparent coat of the eye. 
Cranial — Pertaining to the skull. 
Cranium — Skull. 
Crucial — Shaped like a cross. 

Decarbonize — To purify by air. 

Diagnosis — The art of telling the nature of diseases. 

Diaphoretics — Medicines which promote perspiration. 

Diathesis — Predisposition to certain diseases. 

Dietetics — Regulation of diet. 

Diuretics — Medicines which increase the flow of urine. 

Duct — Canal. 

Dynamic — Relating to the vital forces. 

Emollients — Substances used to reduce inflammations. 
Emphysema — Distention by gas or wind of certain portions of the 

body. 
Emunctories — Organs which carry off waste matters. 
Encephalon — The brain. 
Enema — Injection. 

Enzootic — Endemic diseases among animals. 
Epizootic — Epidemic among animals. 
Equilibrium — Balance. 
Equine — Relating to the horse. 
Etiology — The doctrine of the causes of disorders. 
Excrementitious — Useless. 

Excretory — Relating to vessels which throw off useless matter. 
Extravasation — Escape of a fluid of the body from its vessel into 

surrounding parts. 



GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 353 

Exudation — Oozing through a membrane. 

Fauces — The throat. 
Fleam — Used in bleeding. 

Graminivorous — Feeding on grass. 

Hematosine — The red coloring matter of the blood. 

Hemorrhage — Bleeding. 

Hippiatric — Relating to diseases of the horse. 

Histology — General anatomy. 

Hydrocephalus — Water in the head. 

Hygiene — Preservation of health. 

Ichorous — Humory. 
Idiopathic — Primary affections. 
Idiosyncrasy — Peculiarity of constitution. 
Indurated — Hardened. 
Inguinal — Belonging to the groin. 
Intercostal — Between the ribs. 
Inunction — The act of rubbing in. 

Lachrymal Glands — Those which secrete tears. 

Lancinating — " Shooting." 

Laxatives — Loosening medicines. 

Lesion— Disorder. 

Ligament — The substance which joins bones together. 

Mammae — Breasts. 
Masseters — Muscles of the jaws. 
Morbid — Diseased. 
Morbific — Producing disease, 

Navicular — One of the bones of the foot. 
Neuro-pathology — -The nervous system in disease. 
Nodulous — Like a knot. 
Nosology — Classification of diseases. 



(Edematous — Swollen. 
Opaque — Not transparent. 
Os calcis — Bone of the heel. 
Osseous — Bony. 
Ovoid — In form of an egg. 
23 



354 PADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

Palatine — Relating to the palate. 

Panzootic — An epidemic affecting animals generally. 

Parasite — An animal which lives on another. 

Parotid — Largest salivary gland. 

Pathology — The study of the body in disease. 

Pedicle — Narrow part of a tumor. 

Petechial — Resembling flea-bites. 

Phthisis — Wasting away. 

Pituitary Membrane — Lining of the nostrils. 

Pseudo-membranous — Relating to false membranes. 

Pus — Matter. 

Pylorus — Entrance into intestines. 

Rale — A watery sound heard in sounding the chest in some disease!. 

Sanative — Health -giving. 

Schneiderian Membrane — The lining of the nostrils. 

Sebaceous — Of the nature of suet. 

Sedatives — Medicines which produce sleep. 

Serous — Watery. 

Serum — Watery part of the blood. 

Solvent — That which dissolves. 

Sporadic — Scattered. 

Submaxillary — Beneath the jaw. 

Sudamina — Small eruptions. 

Supra-renal — Above the kidney. 

Thoracic — Relating to the chest. 

Thyroid — Shaped like a folding door. 

Tonics — Medicines which give tone and strength to the body. 

Tubercular — Relating to tumors in the structure of an organ. 

Tumefaction — Swelling. 

Turbinated Bones — Bones of the nose shaped like a top. 

Turgescence — Great amount of humors in any part. 

Vascular — Full of blood-vessels. 

Ventricle — Cavity. 

Virus — Poison. 

Vis a eronte — Force from the front, 

Vis a tergo — Force of propulsion. 

Viscous — Sticky. 

Voice-box — Larynx. 



A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS ; 



OR 



COMPLETE INDEX OF SYMPTOMS. 



The following Index of Symptoms is arranged alphabetically, so 
that ready reference can be made to any symptom. 



HOW TO USE THIS INDEX. 



Animals when taken sick, not having the power of speech, can not 
make known the seat of their disease, except by certain signs or in- 
variable symptoms. It therefore becomes of the highest importance 
to be able to understand the mute language of the poor dumb brute, 
and thus to find out what ails him, in order that the proper means of 
cure may be speedily made use of. 

An instance of the use to be made of this Index may be found in 
the following case: A cow is seen to "get down and moan from in- 
cessant pain," "rumination has ceased," "dung is hard, and streaked 
with blood," "the flanks heave," "legs tremulous," "has a staggering 
gait." Now, by referring to the " Index of Symptoms," which is al- 
phabetically arranged, it will be seen that the foregoing symptoms 
point to page 76 where "Inflammation of the Bowels" is fully de- 
scribed, and we conclude at once that this is what ails the ccw, and 

(355) 



356 dadd's veterinary medicine and surgery. 

we can proceed to administer the proper remedies. This mode of 
ascertaining the nature of the disease may be styled the "Natural 
Method," inasmuch as it first observed the symptoms or signs which 
the case presents, and from them decides as to what form of disease is 
present. It is a mode of procedure original with this work, and it h 
believed to be the only practical way in which an unprofessional per- 
son may arrive at the truth in the premises. The same plan is used 
in Dr. Dadd's Reformed Horse Book, published by R. W. Car- 
roll & Co. 

In observing symptoms, attention should be directed to the various 
parts of the body of the animal which give the #arliest warnings of 
disease. These are, usually, 

The Eyes, Tongue, Muzzle, Throat, Pulse, Chest, Heart, 
Breath, Breathing ; Discharges from the Mouth ; Discharges 
from the Nostrils ; The Skin, The Coat, The Back, The Atti- 
tude, and General Appearance of the whole Body. 



BOVINE DEPARTMENT. 

PAGES 

Abdomen, enlarged and pendulous 102 

Appetite, loss of 30, 40, 43, 105, 141, 197 

do. morbid, inclining to eat bonos, stone, etc 168 

do. small . 215 

Back, arched upward 224 

do. slightly roached 129 

Bag, inflamed and swollen , 113 

Bellowing, loudly 203 

Belly, much enlarged 102 

do. enlarged, with great pain in . . . ■ . 85 

do. pressure upon, produces pain 76 

do. struck with hind feet 85 

do. sudden and severe pain in 76 

do. tucked up 76 

Blood, from the rectum 78 

do. voided in the urine 127 

Body, surface of, hot , c 224 

Bones, prominent 168 

Bowels, constipated 169, 215 

do. large, watery discharges fron 50 

do. yellow or greenish do 79 



A GUIDE lu DIAGNOSIS. . 357 

PAGES 

Breas t-bone, pressure upon, gives great pain. . 141 

Ches , sudden and irregular nervous action of the muscles of.. . . . 202 

Coat, staring 197 s 245 

Convulsions 237 

Cough, painful. 51 

do. slight 40, 46 

do. suppressed 51 

Cramps 30 

" Cud lost " 209 

Debility 46, 102 

Difficulty, in rising. 102 

Dullness. 30, 129, 197 

Dung, hard 76 

do. do. and black. 215 

do. lighter colored than usual 224 

do. offensive odor from 45 

do. streaked with blood 76 

Ears, hot, drooping and moist. 224 

Emaciation 46 

Expectoration 46 

Eyeballs protrude (" stick out") ............................ 203 

Eyelids, much swollen 50 

do. of one eye irritated and swollen , 155 

Eyes, pain and tenderness of 154 

do. visible surfaces of, highly reddened 141, 203, 237 

do. whites of, turned yellow. 209 

do. wild look from 105 

Feet, cold. 40 

Fever 46, 51 

Feverishness 209 

Fits, epileptic, accompanied by loud bellowing and pawing the 

ground . 197 

do. do. with running at any thing in reach 197 

Flanks, anxious gazing at, with moaning 78 

do. heaving at 43, 76, 215 

do. left one swollen and hard 67 

Flesh, rapid loss of. 45 

Foot, discharge of bad smelling matter from. 219 

Frantic 196 

Frenzy 196 

Giddiness and nervousness 198 

Grunting, or moaning on being backed .... £ L 



358 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

PAGES 

Gums, eruptions on ... . 60 

do. swollen and black 250 

Hair, coarse and standing straight up. 168 

do. rough 43 

do. watery fluid dribbling from. 224 

Head, dashed recklessly on the floor 105 

do. directed toward region of the heart 141 

do. drooping of 30 

do. pressed forcibly against a wall 197 

do. thrust forward 40 

do. turned toward liver 209 

Heart, deadened sound on applying the ear over 147 

do. increased force of the beating of 141 

Horns, chilliness of 129, 202 

do. heat about the base of 147, 209, 224 

do. tearing up ground with 203 

do. trying to injure every thing with .... 203 

Jaw, (lower) enlargement at the angle of. 177 

Jaws, angle of, gradual enlargement at 179 

do. compressed 30 

Jugular veins engorged 140, 141 

do. do. undulating or " wavy " motion on 141 

Kidneys, pressure over region of, causes pain 129 

Legs, cold..... 40, 43, 197 

do. fore ones, sudden nervous action of muscles 202 

do. do. trembling 51 

do. do. wide apart 40, 51 

do. tremulous 76 

Lie down, refusal to . 40, 51 

Liver, fullness in region of 209 

Milk, quantity diminished 197 

Motion, gives distress. 140 

Mouth, dry 43 

do. foaming at 105, 250 

do. hot and clammy 40, 105 

do. hot and feverish 147, 209 

do. increased flow of saliva from 50, 224 

do. lining membrane of, pale and watery 102 

do. lining of, very red 203 

do. do. yellow 209 

Muscles, nervous and spasmodic twitches of 105 

Muzzle, dry 105, 129 



A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 359 

. PAGES 

Neck, stiff. 45 

Nervous action. . . 237 

Nose, glairy discharge from 43 

do. lining of, pale and watery 102 

do. do. reddened. . . . . 43, 141, 203 

do, thrust forward. . 36 

Nostrils, food returned by the 48 

do. matter from „ . 35 

Pain, severe and constant, in the bowels 78 

do. do. upon pressing breast-bone 41 

Pawing 203 

Perspiration, profuse, following a fit 197 

Pulse, feeble and oppressed 140 

do. increased force. 141, 209 

do. jerking 202 

do. quick 40, 43, 50 

do. do. yet small 237 

do. violent, abrupt, and strong 147 

Restlessness 85 

Respiration, labored 40 

Ribs, pressure between, gives great pain. 51 

Rigors, followed by acute inflammatory fever. 141 

Rumination, ceased 76, 78, 141, 147, 209, 245 

Separation from the herd 198 

Shivering fits .40, 224 

do. followed by inflammatory fever 141 

Skin, tight and hard 168 

do. yellow 215 

do. watery bladders formed on 224 

< ' Slobbering " 224 

Snorting 43 

Spasms o 237 

Spinal column curved in downward direction 102 

Staggering 30, 76, 245 

Stiffness 30, 250 

Stomach, distended with gas 50 

Suffocation .' 35 

Surface of the body chilly 129, 202 

Swallowing, loss of power of 48, 203 

Tears, running down the face , 50, 154 

Teeth, grating of. 105, 197 

Thinness 46 



360 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 

PAGES 

Thirst, intense 203, 215 

■ do. slight 209 

Throat, glands of, enlarged 45, 255 

do. soreness of 43 

do. swollen and tender 36 

Tongue, eruptions on 60 

do. much swollen . . 50, 224 

do. slightly coated 105 

do. swollen and coated with brown fur '. 237 

do. do. and black 250 

Trembling 30, 237 

Tremblings and twitchings, violent 197 

Tumors on various parts of the body, giving, when pressed, a 

crackling sound. • 45 

Udder, swollen, hot, and tender 105, 113 

Urine, black 131 

do. bloody 30, 127 

difficulty in passing 129 

flow of, suddenly arrested, with trembling of hind legs . . 131 

high-colored 237 

reddened 129 

scanty and dark-colored 224 

yellow 215 

"Walking, crackling noise heard while 168 

do. with stiffened joints 168 

Wasting away 46 

Wind, from the anus 85 



do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 



DISEASES OF SHEEP. 

Anus, inside of, turned yellow 306 

Bloated appearance of body , . 312 

Breathing, quickened 311 

Cough 311 

Eyelids, kept closed 310 

Eyes, tears from lower corner of. 310 

do. whites of, reddened 310 

do. do. turned yellow s 306 

Flanks, heaving at •. ■ • 311 

Head, frequent shaking of « • • • • 306 



A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 361 

PAGES 

Head, pressed against fence or post 306 

do. purple spots on 322 

Lameness, in fore or hind legs . 308 

Lazy movements, with nose almost on the ground 306 

Legs, hot, tender, and swollen, with offensive discharge from .... 308 

Light, painful to the eyes 310 

Nose, discharge from 311 

do. lining of, turned yellow 306 

Panting 3H 

Skin, turned yellow 306 

Sneezing 311 

Teeth, grating of. 306 

Thighs, insides of, turned yellow . 306 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 

A ppetite, loss of 320 

Breathing, quick and difficult 320 

do. very difficult 318 

Cough 320 

do. distressing 318 

Diarrhea, copious 322 

Flesh, rapid wasting of. 320 

Food, refusal of. 322 

Mouth, frothing at, as if choking 318 

Neck, stiffness of. 318 

Nose, purple spots on 322 

do. stretched forward 318 

Shivering fits 320 

Staggering 322 

Swallowing, very difficult 318 

Thirst, great 322 

Throat, swollen 318 

Vomiting 322 

Walking, falling down in , 322 

Weakness, great 322 



TABLES OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



APOTHECABIES' WEIGHTS. 

20 grains make one scruple, marked , 9j. 

3 scruples do. drachm, do gj. 

8 drachms do. ounce, do §j. 

12 ounces do. pound, do. ftj. 



LIQUID MEASURES. 



60 drops make one drachm, marked 3j. 

8 drachms do. ounce, do gj. 

20 ounces do. pint, do. Oj. 

8 pints do. gallon, do. Cong. 



ORDINABY MODES OF MEASURING LIQUIDS. 

A tea-spoonful of liquid equals 60 drops, or one drachm. 
A table -spoonful of do. \ ounce, or four drachms. 

A dessert-spoonful of do. 1 80 drops, or three drachms. 
A wine-glassful of do. 1J ounces. 



The doses vary in quantity in different animals. The amount to 
be given in any case will be found clearly stated in the treatment of 
each disease, whether of horses, cattle, sheep, or hogs. 

(362) 



INDEX. 



A PAGES 

Abortion in cows 118 

Abscess at the angle of the jaw 179 

After-birth, removal of 93 

Anthrax 244 

Aphtha; 60 

Apoplexy, pulmonary 49 

B 

Bile, its secretion and uses 208 

Bladder, description of 126 

do. calculi within 130 

Black water 131 

do. leg 244 

do. tongue 250 

Bloat 64 

Bone disorder 172 

Bones, their mechanism, structure, 

and composition 176 

do. fracture of. 251 

do. ulceration of 181 

Bowels, inflammation of. 76 

do. spasm of 86 

do. constipation of- 87 

Brain, inflammation of 196 

Eronchitis 38 

Bronchial tubes, description of...... 38 

Bronchocele 255 

C 

Cachexia ossafraga (the cripple).. 164 

Calculi in the bladder 130 

Calves, diarrhea in 254 

Cancer in cattle 156 

Caries, or ulceration of bones 181 

Castration . 227 

Catarrh, common .. 43 

do. epizootic 45 



PAGES 

Cattle, dentition of..... 71 

do. plague, remarks on 264 

do. do. in Kentucky 29 

Cerebral parasites 197 

Chapped teats and chafed udder... 116 

Cheap fodder for cows 244 

Chronic diarrhea 80 

Cleansing, or removal of the after- 
birth 93 

Coats of the eye 150 

Colic, flatulent 85 

Constipation of the bowels 87 

Constriction at the neck of the 

uterus 99 

Consumption 46 

Contagious pleuro-pneumonia 15 

Cords in young calves 240 

Cows, abortion in 118 

do. spaying of 257 

Cracks in the heels - 225 

Croup 35 

Cud, loss of...« 14 

D 

Dentition of cattle 71 

do. synopsis 73 

Description of the larynx 37 

do. of bronchial tubes 38 

do. of the pharynx.. 49 

do. of the pleura 51 

do. of oesophagus 53 

do. of the stomach 61 

do. of the urinary system.. 125 

do. of the heart 136 

da. of the eye 129 

do. of the lire .. 2B7 

(363) 



364 



INDEX. 



■PAGES 

Dilatation of the heart 140 

do. of the jaw-bones 177 

Diarrhea.... 79 

do. chronic 80 

do. in calves 254 

Diseases of the generative organs.. 99 
do. of the eye and its mem- 
branes 149 

do. of the bones 164 

do. of the brain 196 

do. of the liver 207 

do. of the skin 216 

do. of the udder, teats, etc 113 

do. of the urinary organs..... 125 

Diseased thymus gland 239 

Disorder of bone 172 

Distension of the rumen with food.. 67 

Dropsy of the womb 102 

E 

Embryotomy 99 

Endocarditis 147 

Enteritis 76 

Enzootic milk-sickness, or trem- 
bles 231 

Epizootic catarrh 45 

do. aphtha? 60 

Eruption, vesicular 224 

Exanthemata, or eruptive fever 216 

Exostosis 180 

Eye, cancer of 157 

do. coats of 150 

do. diseases of......... 149 

do. foreign bodies in 155 

do. humors of 149 

do. inflammation of. 154 

do. muscles of. 151 

F 

Falling of the womb 109 

Fever, puerperal 103 

do. eruptive 216 

Flatulent colic 85 

Food, ingestion of 62 

Foreign bodies in the gullet 53 

Foul in the foot 219 

Fractured bones - 251 



(x PAGES 
Gadflies 221 

Gastro-intestinal inflammation 68 

Generative organs, diseases of 99 

Gullet, foreign bodies in 53 

Gut-tie ....... 81 

H 

Hematuria , . 127 

Hair of cattle as an epidemic ap- 
pendage 223 

Heart, description of 136 

do. its function and diseases 139 

do. dilatation of 140 

do. hypertrophy of 146 

Heels, cracks in 225 

Hemorrhage, uterine 96 

Hernia, or ruptures 158 

do. inguinal 159 

do. strangulated 159 

do. ventral 160 

Horn-ail 184 

Hoose, or common catarrh 43 

Hoven.. 64 

Humor of the eye 149 

Hydatids 210 

Hydrophobia 203 

I 

Improved method of milking 238 

do. do. of spaying 262 

Inflammation of the lungs 39 

do. gastro-intestinal 68 

do. of the bowels 76 

do. of the eye 154 

do. of the brain and its 

membranes 196 

do. of the liver 209 

do. of the udder ,. 113 

Inflammatory affection of the hind 
limbs after calv- 
ing 123 

do. inflammation of the 

kidneys 129 

Internal ruptures in oxen 84 

Invagination of intestines 77 

Inversion of the vagina 117 



INDEX. 



365 



J PAGES 

Jaundice • 213 

Jaw-bones, dilatation of 177 

Jaw, abscess at its angle 179 

K 

Kentucky, cattle plague in 29 

Kidneys, inflammation of 129 

L 

Labor, signs of 88 

do. natural 88 

do. unnatural • 89 

Laceration of the vagina 118 

do. of the oesophagus 55 

Laryngitis 36 

Larynx, description of 37 

Light in barns, necessity of 253 

Liver, description of 207 

do. inflammation of 209 

Loss of cud 74 

Lungs, inflammation of • • 39 

M 

Mammitis 113 

Mange 219 

Milking, improved method of 238 

Milk-sickness 231 

Muscles of the eye and eyelids 151 

N 
Natural labor 88 

O 

(Esophagus, description of. 53 

do, laceration of.. 55 

CEsophagotomy, operation of. 54 

Ophthalmia 154 

Origin of pleuro-pneumonia in 

Massachusetts 15 

Oxen, internal ruptures in 84 

P 

Palsy, shaking 202 

Parasites, cerebral 197 

Parturition 88 

Pemphigus, or vesicular eruption.. 224 

Pericarditis 141 

Pericardium and its diseases 141 



PAGES 

Pharyngitis, or sore throat.. 48 

Pharynx, description of 49 

Plague, cattle 264 

Pleura, description of 51 

Pleurisy 51 

Pleuro-pneumonia, contagious 15 

do. its introduction 

into South 

Africa 23 

Pneumonia — 39 

Pregnancy, treatment of cows dur- 
ing 100 

do, symptoms of . 102 

Puerperal fever 103 

Pulmonary apoplexy 49 

E 

Red water 132 

Rinderpest 15 

Rumen, distension of, with food... 67 

Rumination or remastication 62 

do. suspension of.. 74 

S 

Secretion of bile, its uses, etc 208 

Shaking palsy 202 

Signs of labor 88 

Sore throat 48 

Spasm of the bowels 86 

Spaying cows 257 

do. improved method 262 

Specific or periodic ophthalmia 155 

Sprains or strains 255 

Steamed and cooked food for stock.. 241 

Stomach, description of 61 

Stricture in cow's teats 115 

Sturdy, or cerebral parasites 197 

Sympathy and its relations 181 

Symptoms of pregnancy 102 

Synopsis of dentition 73 

Suspended rumination 74 

T 

Tail-ail..... 193 

Teats, stricture in 115 

do. obstruction in 115 

do. tumors in 116 



366 



INDEX. 



PAGES 

Teats, injuries to 116 

do. sore 116 

do. chapped 116 

Throat, sore 48 

Thrush, or sore mouth 60 

Tymus gland, diseaseof. 239 

Tongue, black 250 

Treatment of cowb during preg- 
nancy 100 

Trembles 231 

Triplets, birth of. 96 

Tympanitis 64 

Twins, birth of 96 

u 

Udder, inflammation of. 113 

Unnatural labor- 89 

Ureters 126 



PAGES 

Urinary calculi 130 

do. organs, diseases of. 125 

do. system, description of 125 

Uterine hemorrhage 96 

Uterus, constriction of. 99 

V 

Vagina, inversion of. 117 

do. laceration of 118 

w 

Warts 220 

Womb, dropsy of...... 102 

do. falling of. 109 

Y 

Yellows, or jaundice 213 

Yoke-galls 222 



SHEEP AND SWINE. 



A PAGES 

Arnica, fluid extract of. 344 

Aconite, do. do 350 

B 

Bakewell on sheep 303 

Bayberry, fluid extract of. 347 

Belly, windy distention of, in sheep 312 

Blankets for sheep 307 

Black snakeroot, fluid extract of... 345 

Black pepper, do. do 348 

Bloodroot, do. do 348 

Bowels, constipation of, in sheep... 312 

Breeding of sheep 303 

Buchu, fluid extract of. 345 



Catarrh in sheep 311 

Chamomile, fluid extract of. 344 

Cholera, hog 321 

do. do. Suttonon 323 

do. do. Dadd's remedy for 331 



PAGES 

Colchicum, fluid extract of. 346 

Constipation of bowels in sheep... 312 

Cubebs, fluid extract of 348 

Culver's root, do. 347 

D 

Dadd's remedy for hog cholera 331 

Diagnosis, guide td 355 

Diarrhea in sheep 312 

Diseases of sheep 302 

do. of swine 313 

Dysentery in sheep. 312 

E 

Effects of impure air on swine 315 

Extracts, fluid, list of. 343 

Eye, inflammation of, in sheep 310 



Foot-rot in sheep 308 

Fluid extracts, list of. 343 



INDEX. 



367 



Gr PAGES 

Giddiness in sheep 307 

Ginger, fluid extract of 349 

Golden seal, do 346 

Grubs in the nostrils of sheep 346 

Guide to diagnosis 355 

H 

Hemorrhage, remedy for... 350 

Hernia, or rupture, of swine 319 

Hog cholera 321 

Hops, fluid extract of •••. 346 

Hyposulphite of soda 350 

I 

Impure air, effects of, on swine 315 

Indian hemp, fluid extract of........ 345 

Inflammation of lungs in swine 320 

do. of the eye in sheep.. 310 

do. of lungs do. ~ 311 

Intestinal worms in swine 320 

J 
Jackets forsheep 307 

L 

Labor, tedious, remedy for.. 349 

Liver of sheep, hydatids in 305 

do. do. disease of 306 

Lobelia, fluid extract of 347 

Lungs of sheep, inflammation of... 311 

do. of swine, do. ... 320 

M 

Male fern, fluid extract of 344 

Matico, do. do 348 

Mandrake, do. do 348 

Measles in pork... „.~~.. -317 

N 
Nostrils of sheep, grubs in 309 

P 

Pleurisy root, fluid extract of. 344 

Pneumonia in swine 320 



PAGES 

Poke-root, fluid extract of 347 

Poppy-heads, fluid extract of. 347 

Pork, measles in 317 

Prince's pine, fluid extract of. 345 

Q 

Quinsy in swine 318 

R 

Pot in sheep 305 

Rupture of swine 319 

S 

Sassafras, fluid extract of 347 

Sheep, diseases of 302 

do. improvement of 302 

do. Bakewell's manner of breed- 
ing 303 

Soda, hyposulphite of 350 

Sutton on hog cholera 323 

Swine, diseases of 313 

do. effects of impure air on 315 

T 

Tedious labor, remedy for 349 

Ticks in sheep 310 

Trichinia spiralis 332 

do. do. Brown on 339 

Tympanites in sheep 312 

V 

Valerian, fluid extract of. 349 

Vertigo in sheep 307 

W 

Witch-hazel, fluid extract of. 346 

Worms in swine 320 

Wormwood, fluid extract of 344 

Wounds, remedy for ••■•• 350 

Y 

Yellows in sheep.... 306 

Yellow jessamine, fluid extract of.. 346 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



l ll II II III III I III IllUli 
002 848 015 5 



